STORY: Extreme cold meets great poverty in Afghanistan. According to official figures, more than 160 people died in January as a result of the bad winter. On a snowy field in the western part of the Afghan capital Kabul, children rummage through the rubbish in search of fuel, as many families cannot afford wood or coal. If the material is even still available on the market, as one shop owner reports. He has five children: Ashour Ali, shopkeeper: “The weather is so cold that I can’t get any more coal. Early in the morning after prayer, I go and collect plastic to burn. This is the situation we have. Mine Children are hungry and thirsty. If I could manage to get a sack of flour and somehow have the money, believe me it wouldn’t last a week.” According to meteorologists, this is the coldest winter in 15 years. Temperatures dropped to -34 degrees Celsius at times. There is also a severe economic crisis in the country. And many aid agencies have halted their work in recent weeks as the ruling Taliban ruled that most women members would not be allowed to work in Afghanistan.