It feels like the world is going through its darkest days. Within the last 72 hours, Haiti endured a 7.2 earthquake resulting in 300+ dead; Afghanistan witnessed the Taliban takeover and Lebanon’s lights go out, with 30 killed by fuel explosion.
These countries can’t seem to catch a break, and it’s beyond heartbreaking. Not only did Haiti experience a devastating earthquake that overtook the island, but the country has endured so much political turbulence, humanitarian crisis and foreign meddling. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake led to more than 300 people dying, with numerous citizens missing and displaced.
In Algeria, Turkey and Greece, forest fires continue to spread over the past weeks, leading the European Union to reveal that the Mediterranean has become a wildfire hot spot. Over hundreds of citizens have lost their lives or had their homes burnt down due to the ongoing flames.
Lebanon is living in complete darkness. Electricity has been shut down; the financial and economic collapse has skyrocketed, theirs a severe shortage of necessities, leaving the citizens with no access to medicine, food or fuel.
Elsewhere, we’ve seen Afghanistan’s second-largest city Kandahar seized by the Taliban, leaving thousands fleeing their hometown for safety in Kabul as the Taliban close in on the capital, with little to no access to safety, food or medicine. Previously, under the Taliban’s rules, women were not allowed to work, go to school and sometimes weren’t even allowed to leave their homes without a male guardian beside them. Now things have immensely changed, but over the last year, there have been waves of attacks leading women in healthcare, journalism, and law enforcement to be killed. Mahbooba Seraj, Founder of the Afghan Women’s network, shares, “What’s happening in Afghanistan today is going to put this country 200 years back.”
If you are looking for ways to help, spreading awareness is the first step. We must join conversations on social media, talk about what’s happening and most importantly, follow and support the voices of the Afghan community.
