Afghan minister who fled the Taliban now drives Uber to feed his family

Afghanistan’s former finance minister has been driving an Uber in Washington DC to support his family, as new figures show over 13,000 newborns have died since January from hunger-related diseases.

Khalid Payenda, who resigned days before Kabul fell to the Taliban in August and then fled to the United States fearing for his safety, told the Washington Post that he was “grateful” to work for the ride hailing app after exhausting his savings.

He earns roughly £115 for a six hour shift – money he uses to supplement the £1,520 he earns per semester teaching at Georgetown University in Washington DC to support his wife and four children.

“It’s like a part of my life is a story someone else told me and that I have not lived,” said Mr Payenda, when asked about his role in Afghanistan under the previous democratically-elected Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani.

“It eats at you inside. Right now, I don’t have any place. I don’t belong here, and I don’t belong there. It’s a very empty feeling.”

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate and activists warn that it risks being overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.

Approximately 23 million of the country’s 39.8 million citizens are experiencing acute hunger, according to the United Nations assistance mission (UNAMA).

UNAMA warns that 100 percent of female-led households do not have enough to eat as the Taliban’s takeover means that women have been unable to earn a living to support their families.

“Since the beginning of the year, roughly 13,000 newborns have died from malnutrition and hunger-related diseases in Afghanistan,” echoed Birgit Schwarz, a senior official from Human Rights Watch.

“That is on average more than 170 babies every single day. The country needs a functioning Central Bank. Aid is not enough.”

Infectious diseases are also spreading rapidly in the country, where millions of people have been internally displaced and immunisation programs have been disrupted due to the conflict. 

Since January 2021, there have been over 48,000 cases of measles reported and 250 deaths. Over 95 percent of fatalities are among children under the age of five. Many infants have already had their immune systems weakened by malnutrition.

UNICEF has warned that more than 13 million children remain in dire need of international assistance and it has requested a further £1.5 billion to meet the healthcare and education needs of the Afghan people.