A difficult return: gendered urban challenges for Afghan returnees

When Samira, a widowed mother of seven, crossed the Torkham border back into Afghanistan in December 2025, she was not returning home as much as stepping into the unknown.

Forced to leave Pakistan, she led her four daughters and three sons on a long and exhausting journey. For most of her children, Afghanistan was a country they had never seen before. For Samira and her daughters, it was also a place where their movement, education and livelihoods would be heavily restricted.

They arrived with little and, like many returnees, settled first with distant relatives before moving into a small shed on the outskirts of Nangarhar. The structure barely held together – its roof fragile, its windows covered in plastic instead of glass. When an earthquake struck, it nearly collapsed.

“I got support from the government and international organizations when we crossed the border, but here, there is little support,” says Samira, still in shock from the sudden move to Afghanistan. “Our house is small and badly built. I am afraid the roof will fall on us.”

Water is another daily struggle. Delivered by tanker trucks, it is often too expensive for families like hers.

© UN-Habitat

“My children and I are getting sick because the water we drink is not clean, but I cannot pay every day for water brought by a truck. Already, my youngest has a bad stomach and is often ill, and I also feel unwell, but what can we do? The nearest clinic is too far,” she explains.

Before returning, Samira had found ways to provide. After her husband’s death more than three years ago, she supported her family in Pakistan through tailoring and embroidery – skills passed down from her mother. In Afghanistan, however, restrictions on women’s work and movement have left her without options.

“My son brings home some money when he can find work – but often, it is not enough. So, the children eat, but I often do not,” she says. “I wish I could send my children to school so they can have a better future – but for now I cannot.”

At just 16, her eldest son now carries the burden of supporting the family through irregular jobs. Samira worries constantly about what happens on the days he cannot find work – and about the choices she may be forced to make.

Samira’s experience is not unique. Since 2023, over 4 million people have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran, many settling in rapidly expanding informal urban neighbourhoods. Housing is often unsafe, basic services are limited, and livelihoods are scarce.

© UN-Habitat

Within this broader crisis, women and girls face additional, intersecting challenges –especially in female-headed households like Samira’s.

“Returning to Afghanistan is particularly challenging for women who do not have a husband and who have had to leave everything behind,” says Madina, a community mobilizer for UN-Habitat who has worked in Nangarhar since 2017. “Communities often show strong solidarity with returnees and support them where they can, but women do not feel completely safe and cannot walk on the streets alone.”

Through community-based approaches, UN-Habitat works with families like Samira’s to address urgent needs while supporting longer-term resilience.

Community mobilizers such as Madina regularly visit neighbourhoods, building trust and identifying the most vulnerable households. Female mobilizers play a critical role in ensuring women’s voices are heard and reflected in solutions.

Through participatory approaches, UN-Habitat provided households like Samira’s with financial and technical support for shelter repairs, helping make their homes safer. Families also received winter assistance, including clothing, heating systems and blankets, while vulnerable households received hygiene and dignity kits.

“We are glad that through our shelter support programme and water projects, Samira’s house is now safer, and she can access drinking water more easily,” Madina adds.

© UN-Habitat

Across Nangarhar and beyond, these interventions have supported over 4,500 people with life-saving shelter repairs and essential assistance.

Yet Samira’s story also reflects deeper structural challenges.

In Afghanistan’s rapidly growing informal settlements, the influx of returnees is accelerating the expansion of unplanned and underserved urban areas. For women and girls, this often means reduced access to services, fewer livelihood opportunities, and increased insecurity.

These patterns are highlighted in UN-Habitat’s research on gender gaps in urban neighbourhoods across cities such as Nangarhar, Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad and Kandahar. The findings point to widening inequalities that require sustained, inclusive responses.

For Samira, however, the reality remains immediate and personal: keeping her children safe, fed and hopeful for a better future – one she still believes should include school, stability and dignity.

Cover photo: © UN-Habitat