Over the past three and a half years, the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs has registered more than 653,000 widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities.

Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Deputy Minister of the Ministry, told TOLOnews in an exclusive interview that during this period they have facilitated aid worth approximately 12.5 billion afghani.

Haqqani stated: "Following the complete takeover by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, over the past three and a half years, we have registered 653,265 individuals, including widows, orphans, and people with disabilities."

The deputy minister further emphasized that aid is distributed equally among all needy families, and educational and employment opportunities are provided for orphans and the disabled.

He added that each needy individual within a family receives 2,000 afghani, and vocational training and job opportunities are also offered to orphans and disabled persons.

Haqqani said: "We are active in distributing food and clothing, and in the vocational training sector, students from among orphans and people with disabilities are receiving training and working."

He stressed that the only major challenge facing the ministry is a lack of budget: "Our main issue is a shortage of funds; other than that, we face no major problems, and community leaders are cooperating with us."

According to the deputy minister, some other organizations have also supported orphans and persons with disabilities, providing food, shelter, and employment opportunities to more than 130,000 people.