When the Earth Shook: Zarghana’s Story of Survival and Compassion

The night the earthquake struck Kunar, Zarghana woke darkness, dust and an unfamiliar roar. Around midnight the ground heaved and the house where she had lived collapsed. Wrapped in a burgundy dress and a purple shawl, she called to her family as walls and roofs came down.

By dawn, villages in Norgul district were largely destroyed. Rows of homes lay in ruins; where large houses and several smaller ones had stood there were only broken beams and dust. Over 2,205 deaths and 3,640 injuries were reported, with more than 6,700 houses partially or fully damaged. Zarghana’s family suffered complete losses: two of her children were killed, their livestock, the family’s main source of income, were lost, and the small house that had sheltered three generations was reduced to rubble

“This was the first time I heard such a sound,” she remembers in Pashto. “It felt like the Day of Judgement. I have nothing left, only the clothes I wore.” Her words carry the weight of every woman in Vadir who bore the heaviest burdens of that night: grief for lost children, worry for the injured, and the sudden absence of the means to feed and shelter a family.

When the initial shock passed and rescue teams began to reach the remote valleys, the needs were immediate and overwhelming. Government teams provided limited emergency rations and evacuated the injured, but food, shelter and livelihoods were not enough for the many families left without income. For Zarghana, whose husband’s small plot and livestock had supported the household, now gone, each hour felt like a fight against hunger and despair.

Into that void came ActionAid Afghanistan (AAA). Their teams arrived quickly and began delivering life-saving support—food packages carried on foot across rough terrain directly to tents like the one where Zarghana and her family had sought refuge. “Their staff walked for long hours,” she recalls. “Despite their own exhaustion, they brought food to our tents and looked after our children. Their kindness kept us alive.”

Those first deliveries gave the family what they needed most in the immediate aftermath: nourishment and a fragile hope. But AAA’s work did not stop at emergency food. They rolled out a package of support designed to help families recover dignity and rebuild lives: multipurpose cash assistance, cash-for-work programs to clear rubble and repair damaged houses, hygiene and dignity kit distributions, and hygiene-awareness sessions to prevent disease in crowded temporary shelters.

Zarghana’s husband joined the cash-for-work program, helping clear stones and debris from the place where their home once stood. The small but steady payments from that work helped buy food, medicine and basic materials for temporary repairs. Meanwhile, hygiene awareness became a vital part of recovery for the women of Vadir. Zarghana and many other village women attended AAA’s hygiene sessions practical, culturally sensitive trainings on handwashing, safe water handling, latrine use, menstrual hygiene, and the safe care of children. The sessions were delivered at times and places accessible to women, and they included demonstrations and discussions that the women could bring back to their tents and family spaces.

“These sessions were very useful for us,” Zarghana says. “We learned how to keep our children safer from sickness in the tents and how to use the hygiene kits they gave us.” The dignity and hygiene kits, soap, water containers, menstrual supplies, and sanitation items, were distributed alongside the training. For women who had lost private spaces and household supplies, these kits restored essential dignity and reduced risk of disease. The combination of knowledge and supplies helped prevent outbreaks and gave mothers concrete ways to protect their families amid the overcrowded temporary shelters.

months after the quake, the scars in Kunar remain, and the grief of those who lost loved ones is never far. Yet there are signs of recovery and resilience woven through the ruins. Zarghana’s family, though forever changed, 

has something to stand on again. Her son’s wounds healed; the family has access to food and basic supplies, and the income from her husband’s cash-for-work allowed them to clear their yard and begin patching a shelter. Neighbors are working together to repair walls and replant small plots where possible. The hygiene practices learned by the women have reduced illness among children and restored a measure of daily routine and dignity.

“During one of the hardest moments of our lives, they stood with us,” Zarghana says of ActionAid. “They protected our children from hunger and hardship. For that I am deeply thankful.” Her gratitude reflects the lifesaving value of immediate aid and the practical impact of programs that combine cash, shelter repair, and hygiene protection.

But the devastation is deep. Entire livelihoods were wiped out, homes, animals, tools and stored grains and the remote terrain makes reconstruction slow and costly. Even with the support already provided, many families in Vadir and across Kunar remain far from recovery. Continued humanitarian assistance is essential: more shelter materials, livelihood rehabilitation, sustained cash support, medical care, and long-term recovery programs that prioritize women and children.

Zarghana’s story is not only a testament to loss; it is a call to action. The help that reached her kept her family alive and set them on the path toward rebuilding, but the road ahead is long. Humanitarian aids must be continued so families can move from survival to reconstruction and regain the stability they have lost. Only sustained, coordinated support will help Kunar heal its deepest wounds and give people like Zarghana a real chance to rebuild their lives.