Page 31 - Presbyterian Connection Fall 2025

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ConnectionP R E S B Y T E R I A N
PRESBYTERIAN WORLD SERVICE & DEVELOPMENT
Advocate
for Afghan
Refugees
By Karen Bokma,
PWS&D Communications
Since the Taliban takeover of Af-
ghanistan in August 2021, the
United Nations estimates that 1.6
million people have fled the coun-
try for safety elsewhere. Of these,
700,000 have made their way to
neighbouring Pakistan, making
the population of Afghan refugees
in Pakistan reach over 2.5 million
at its highest point.
Tensions have risen over the
past year between the govern-
ment of Pakistan and the Taliban
de facto government in Afghani-
stan, and the millions of Afghan
refugees in Pakistan are paying
the price.
Since early 2025, the Pakistani
government has been implement-
ing a plan to send back undocu-
mented Afghans, as well as those
who have temporary permission
to stay. The number of people at
risk of being forcibly returned to
Afghanistan is staggering, as over
half of the refugees being hosted
in Pakistan originate from there. In
April, between 700 and 800 fami-
lies were being deported daily.
These deportations pose dev-
astating risks—particularly for
women and girls—who face
heightened threats of violence,
persecution and loss of access
to basic rights upon return to their
home country. These actions
violate international protection
Families are being forced to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan, regardless of security concerns and legal claims to asy-
lum status.
principles and erode decades of
humanitarian efforts to safeguard
vulnerable populations.
A 23-year-old Afghan woman
describes the experience her
family faced. “They arrested my
dad with my brother, and they
deported them. It was tough for
me and [before they were de-
ported] they told me, if you go
back to Afghanistan, you will die
or maybe get married by force.”
This young woman now lives
alone in Pakistan, separated
from her family and terrified daily
about being deported.
Already facing an immense hu-
manitarian crisis, Afghanistan will
be challenged to absorb such a
large number of returnees, more
than two thirds of whom have
never lived in the country.
In response, PWS&D and our
local partner in Afghanistan are
calling on the Government of
Canada to take action to urge the
Government of Pakistan to
• immediately halt the depor-
tations of Afghan refugees;
• uphold the rights to protec-
tion, safety and dignity for all
displaced individuals;
• commit to durable, rights-
based solutions for those flee-
ing conflict and oppression.
To watch a video about the is-
sue and download a sample ad-
vocacy letter, visit WeRespond.
ca/advocate-for-Afghan-refugees.
Earning a Good Income in Nepal
By Emma Goldstein,
PWS&D Communications
“Even with a small piece of land,
it’s possible to earn a good in-
come with low investment.”
These words of Ankhu Jaishi, a
30-year-old program participant
from the Kalikot district of Nepal,
describe the ethos of farmers
around the world who participate
in self-help groups, where they
share knowledge about conser-
vation agriculture techniques to
make modest plots of land work
harder and produce more, in the
face of increasingly challenging
climates.
Ankhu and her husband sup-
port their four children, as well
as his mother. Prior to Ankhu’s
participation in the project, hav-
ing enough food to meet their
daily needs was difficult. So was
paying for clothing and school
fees for the children. As a result,
Ankhu’s husband was forced to
seek seasonal work in India.
Since 2023, PWS&D has been
supporting a three-year project
through International Nepal Fel-
lowship to help the most margin-
alized groups in the area where
Ankhu lives. Her circumstances
improved when she joined a self-
help group through the project
and received farming inputs, like:
a plastic greenhouse; drip irriga-
tion set; vegetable seeds; plas-
tic drums and sprayers; as well
as training on climate-resilient
farming. The vegetables Ankhu
can now grow and sell at the
market are diverse—cauliflower,
cabbage, radishes, cucumbers,
tomatoes, chilis, garlic, onions,
beans, pumpkins and potatoes fill
her plot of land.
As a model farmer, Ankhu’s
farm is an example to others in
her community, and she teaches
them about the techniques that
made a difference for her. Ankhu
proudly shared, “Joining the self-
help group changed my life.”
Beyond Subsistence
Farming
Nepal sits very low on the hu-
man development index; among
South Asian countries, it ranks
stronger than only Afghanistan
and Pakistan.
Over 80 percent of the coun-
try’s population is engaged in
agriculture to meet their food
needs, including in Kalikot. How-
ever, only around four percent of
households in the district have
Irrigation facilities, like this one that a self-help group is working on, are
also part of the project.
Pictured harvesting tomatoes, Ankhu, a model farmer, shares with others
the conservation agriculture techniques she’s learned through a PWS&D-
supported program.
enough agricultural production
to be food secure every month of
the year. Working largely as sub-
sistence farmers, many do not
have awareness of or access to
advanced technologies, such as
irrigation facilities. This insuffi-
ciency leads to a high rate of sea-
sonal migration—often the men
in marginalized households make
their way out of the community
and even into a different country
to support their families.
PWS&D’s programming in Ka-
likot provides the supplies people
need to plant and harvest from
their farms year-round. Goats are
also given to households par-
ticipating in the program. Equally
important, utilizing model farms
like Ankhu’s, the program provides
guidance on how to implement
more climate-resilient farming ap-
proaches. Using the techniques
they learn—such as nursery
management, drip irrigation, im-
plementation of organic fertilizers,
mulching, intercropping and plant-
ing disease-resistant varieties—
farmers increase the number of
months their land can be produc-
tive, which provides them with
enough food for daily consump-
tion and to sell at the local market.
In 2024, an estimated 1,492
individuals—of whom 65% were
women—directly participated in
project activities, working togeth-
er for better food security and a
better future.