A woman dresses up her child at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Aziza Rahimi, 35, who lost her son at birth, poses for a photo inside her house in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Rahimi stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A man uses his mobile phone as he walks down the corridor of a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Aziza Rahimi, 35, who lost her son at birth, walks inside her house in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Rahimi stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A man stands outside residential houses in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A girl plays outside her house in Foladi Valley, Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Children walk beside a donkey carrying goods in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A vehicle drives along a road in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A boy holding a kite sits in front of a bakery shop in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A woman begs on the side of a road on the outskirts of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Snow covers the mountains surrounding Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

The notebook of a trainee midwife lies on a table during a training class in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A teacher gives a lecture to trainee midwives in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A trainee midwife arranges her headscarf in front of a mirror, in a training center in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A woman sits on a hospital bed in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 02, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Aziza Rahimi, 35, who lost her son at birth, talks to a trainee midwife in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Rahimi stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A mother holds her child as she rests in her arms, while women line up outside of a doctor's room, at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Trainee midwives attend a training class in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Sakineh, who lost a grandchild at birth, sits with her grandchildren inside her house in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Aziza Rahimi, 35, Sakineh’s daughter-in-law, stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A trainee midwife examines a woman and her newborn baby at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

People sit beside their tents in front of the ruins of a 1500-year-old Buddha statue, which was blown up by the Islamist group in 2001 in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there is no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A Taliban flag waves in front of the ruins of a 1500-year-old Buddha statue, which was blown up by the Islamist group in 2001 in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there is no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

People sit in a waiting room at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities have barred women from universities and most charity jobs, but they have made exemptions in the healthcare sector, such as the trainee midwife program that has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Sakineh, who lost a grandchild at birth, sits with her grandson in her house in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Aziza Rahimi, 35, Sakineh’s daughter-in-law, stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Sakineh, who lost a grandchil at birth, stands in her house in Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. Aziza Rahimi, 35, Sakineh’s daughter-in-law, stumbled while bleeding for two hours to her in-laws' house after her husband was unable to find a car or ambulance to take them to hospital, she gave birth but the baby died shortly after. "It was too hard for me when I lost my baby, as a mother I nurtured the baby in my womb for 9 months but then I lost him, it is too painful," she said. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Snow covers Foladi Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A girl carries her belongings in a container on her head in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A trainee midwife examines a woman in a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A trainee midwife examines a woman at a hospital in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, March 2, 2023. A trainee midwife program has been spearheaded by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) with a local NGO, where young women train for two years in the provincial capital hospital as midwives, after which they will return home to help the women in the community. "When the roads are blocked of course there are no means of transportation, people even use donkeys to move the patients to the clinic centres, but sometimes there is not even the opportunity for that," said Mohammad Ashraf Niazi, the head of UNHCR's Bamiyan office. "These students can help in each village, in each district with deliveries." REUTERS/Ali Khara SEARCH "KHARA MIDWIVES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.