Will The Desert Bloom

In an arid valley of northwestern Afghanistan, diets used to consist of little more than tea and bread, and women remained in the home. But today, widows such as Tazaghul (left) and Ghuldista (center) are learning to keep vegetable gardens outside the home, watered by special drip irrigation kits supplied by World Vision, to provide nutritious food for their families. Shamesdin (right) admitted the men were surprised by the women’s efforts. “But now we see it’s good,” he said. More than 1,400 women have started similar garden projects in Badghis Province.