An Afghan Village Of Drug Addicts, From Ages 10 To 60
Renee Montagne
April 30 2014
Herat is one of the most graceful cities in Afghanistan. Its traditions go back to the Persian empire, with its exquisite blue and green glass, and its thriving poetry scene.
Now Herat is struggling with a darker side: drug addiction at a higher rate than almost anywhere else in the country.
In a dusty ravine on the outskirts of the city, Ahmad, a scruffy 20-year-old, is striking a match to inhale heroin.
It's a simple act he repeats throughout his day — heating a dark slab of heroin paste smeared on a bit of foil so he can smoke it.
Ahmad is one of hundreds of addicts who have turned a dumping ground for building material into a village. A drug village.
They used chunks of cement and tarps to honeycomb the ravine with what look like stone igloos.
Ahmad's mother, Zahra, leans against some rocks in front of their place. Her flat, gold eyes peer at us from beneath a plaid veil as she tells her story
"I used to weave carpets and also worked as a maid," she says. "Then my husband got cancer and died."
Zahra's life spiraled downward, hitting bottom when her sister-in-law returned from Iran and offered her heroin.
Now, Zahra says, "I can't do anything except beg on the street."
We pull back a red cloth to find another woman, Zahra's sister, blinking up into the light. In the center of this tiny space is a cooking area — not for food, but for heroin.
There's also a small figure moaning and moving restlessly under a filthy blue burka.
"That's my daughter," says Zahra.
She's 10, and she's hooked on heroin too.
How did such a young girl become addicted?
"When we had my sister-in-law living with us, she was addicted," says Zahra. "I would go out to other homes to do housekeeping. And my little girl Laila used to cry a lot. So my sister-in-law gave the child opium to calm her down — that's when she became an addict."
Zahra says her daughter has already gone through rehab at a clinic in the city.
But back in this drug village, the 10-year-old became addicted once again.
continued, listen to story, more pictures http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/...an-village-of-drug-addicts-from-ages-10-to-60
Renee Montagne
April 30 2014
Herat is one of the most graceful cities in Afghanistan. Its traditions go back to the Persian empire, with its exquisite blue and green glass, and its thriving poetry scene.
Now Herat is struggling with a darker side: drug addiction at a higher rate than almost anywhere else in the country.
In a dusty ravine on the outskirts of the city, Ahmad, a scruffy 20-year-old, is striking a match to inhale heroin.
It's a simple act he repeats throughout his day — heating a dark slab of heroin paste smeared on a bit of foil so he can smoke it.
Ahmad is one of hundreds of addicts who have turned a dumping ground for building material into a village. A drug village.
They used chunks of cement and tarps to honeycomb the ravine with what look like stone igloos.
Ahmad's mother, Zahra, leans against some rocks in front of their place. Her flat, gold eyes peer at us from beneath a plaid veil as she tells her story
"I used to weave carpets and also worked as a maid," she says. "Then my husband got cancer and died."
Zahra's life spiraled downward, hitting bottom when her sister-in-law returned from Iran and offered her heroin.
Now, Zahra says, "I can't do anything except beg on the street."
We pull back a red cloth to find another woman, Zahra's sister, blinking up into the light. In the center of this tiny space is a cooking area — not for food, but for heroin.
There's also a small figure moaning and moving restlessly under a filthy blue burka.
"That's my daughter," says Zahra.
She's 10, and she's hooked on heroin too.
How did such a young girl become addicted?
"When we had my sister-in-law living with us, she was addicted," says Zahra. "I would go out to other homes to do housekeeping. And my little girl Laila used to cry a lot. So my sister-in-law gave the child opium to calm her down — that's when she became an addict."
Zahra says her daughter has already gone through rehab at a clinic in the city.
But back in this drug village, the 10-year-old became addicted once again.
continued, listen to story, more pictures http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/...an-village-of-drug-addicts-from-ages-10-to-60
