As the price of hygiene products rises, especially masks and disinfectants, Amanullah Kaliwal sews 500 masks a day in his home and distributes them to the people for free.

Amanullah is an employee of a foreign organization in Kabul. He says he can help the poor by making 500 masks, and, if he was able, he could sew more than 500 masks a day.

“Currently, there is a shortage of masks and gloves in Afghanistan. I thought I could do it and I knew how to sew, so why not do it? And so I take the people's hand and serve the people,” said Kaliwal.

At the moment, the price of a regular market mask is 20 afghanis, while before the outbreak of the coronavirus the price was two afghanis.

The multi-layered mask, which is reinforced to protect wearers from the coronavirus, sells for more than 500 afghanis in Kabul markets. The cost of these masks was twenty to thirty afghanis before the coronavirus spread in Kabul.

In Kabul, there is only one mask-manufacturing company, and it opened on Tuesday. The health minister said this company has the capacity to produce 10,000 masks a day.

Kaliwal says many Kabul residents are unable to buy masks and that's why he makes his masks available to the needy for free.

“Masks, gloves, and other hygiene items are now more important to people than bread, and when I distribute these masks, people are very happy and it gives me the feeling that I have to work harder and serve more,” added Kaliwal.

Kaliwal added that he has distributed more than 4,000 masks to the needy in Kabul in the past six days. After sewing the masks, he irons them and use alcohol to clean them.

“In this situation, businessmen must help the people,” said Kaliwal.

A number of Kabul residents praised Kaliwal's work, saying that the use of masks by the people is a serious service to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Doctors recommend that people should wear masks when visiting each other, going to public places, entering crowded or indoor places, using public transportation, and so on.