India have been doing very well in the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 edition in Birmingham. So far, weightlifters have made India proud with their performances and added to the country’s medal tally. Mirabai Chanu,&nbsp;Sanket Sargar, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli, etc. have kept the nation’s tricolour flying high with their accomplishments.

Talking about the 20-year-old Achinta, hailing from&nbsp;Deulpur (West Bengal), his mother shared the struggles and hardships the family went through for his success. 
 
Achinta won India its third gold medal by claiming the top spot in the 73kg&nbsp;men’s finals.&nbsp;For the unversed, the youngster broke the Games record by lifting a total of a whopping 313kg to clinch the yellow metal. Achinta broke the Games record twice in the snatch round, lifting 140kg and 143kg and, then lifted 166kg and 170kg in the clean and jerk round to register a Games record under his belt for the overall weight.

&nbsp;Achinta’s mother shared a poignant story of how he had once asked for a chicken meal but the family couldn’t afford it. “When he was young, he had asked for a chicken meal. But we could not afford it. He cried a lot that day. But afterwards, he understood our financial conditions and never asked for such a meal again. He relied on starchy rice with coconuts. After he won the gold medal yesterday, he demanded that I must prepare his favourite starchy rice when he arrives home,” Achinta's mother Purnima&nbsp;was quoted as saying by the&nbsp;Indian Express.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cwg22-india-vs-malaysia-badminton-mixed-team-finals-all-you-need-to-know-about-telecast-streaming-details-502797">CWG'22, India vs Malaysia Badminton Mixed Team finals: All you need to know about telecast, streaming details</a>

“Despite our conditions, we never stopped supporting Achinta. We did everything to help him grow as a weightlifter. He had tremendous potential which is evident from his success&nbsp;now. (On Sunday), we subscribed to a paid sports channel to watch him win the medal,” shared Achinta’s brother Alok.

After his win, Sheuli told NDTV,&nbsp;“It was not easy, but somehow I made it easy as I was not able to make a proper lift on my second attempt, there was tough fight after that. Vijay sir was telling me to do better, I tried my best.”

“My mother has left tailoring now, earlier she used to do it from morning to night. I also used to do it. I want to dedicate this medal to my brother as he always supports me. There was some pressure on me as Sanket Sargar had won a medal,” he added.

India have been doing very well in the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 edition in Birmingham. So far, weightlifters have made India proud with their performances and added to the country’s medal tally.

India have been doing very well in the ongoing Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 edition in Birmingham. So far, weightlifters have made India proud with their performances and added to the country’s medal tally. Mirabai Chanu, Sanket Sargar, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli, etc. have kept the nation’s tricolour flying high with their accomplishments. Talking about the 20-year-old Achinta, hailing from Deulpur (West Bengal), his mother shared the struggles and hardships the family went through for his success. Achinta won India its third gold medal by claiming the top spot in the 73kg men’s finals. For the unversed, the youngster broke the Games record by lifting a total of a whopping 313kg to clinch the yellow metal. Achinta broke the Games record twice in the snatch round, lifting 140kg and 143kg and, then lifted 166kg and 170kg in the clean and jerk round to register a Games record under his belt for the overall weight. Achinta’s mother shared a poignant story of how he had once asked for a chicken meal but the family couldn’t afford it. “When he was young, he had asked for a chicken meal. But we could not afford it. He cried a lot that day. But afterwards, he understood our financial conditions and never asked for such a meal again. He relied on starchy rice with coconuts. After he won the gold medal yesterday, he demanded that I must prepare his favourite starchy rice when he arrives home,” Achinta's mother Purnima was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. ALSO READ | CWG'22, India vs Malaysia Badminton Mixed Team finals: All you need to know about telecast, streaming details “Despite our conditions, we never stopped supporting Achinta. We did everything to help him grow as a weightlifter. He had tremendous potential which is evident from his success now. (On Sunday), we subscribed to a paid sports channel to watch him win the medal,” shared Achinta’s brother Alok. After his win, Sheuli told NDTV, “It was not easy, but somehow I made it easy as I was not able to make a proper lift on my second attempt, there was tough fight after that. Vijay sir was telling me to do better, I tried my best.” “My mother has left tailoring now, earlier she used to do it from morning to night. I also used to do it. I want to dedicate this medal to my brother as he always supports me. There was some pressure on me as Sanket Sargar had won a medal,” he added.

CWG'22: ‘Couldn’t afford chicken meal’ - Gold medallist lifter Achinta Sheuli’s mother shares struggles

&nbsp;Ahmad Khalil Mayan, programme director at a large Kabul orphanage, says he is cutting back on the amount of fruit and meat he gives the children each week because the home is running out of money.

For the last two months, since the Afghan Taliban seized control of the country and millions of dollars in aid suddenly dried up, he has been desperately calling and emailing donors, both foreign and local, who supported him before.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-of-afghans-receive-assistance-un-agency-419569">Thousands of Afghans receive assistance: UN agency</a>

"Unfortunately, most of them have left the country - Afghan donors, foreign donors, embassies. When I call them or email them, no one is answering me," Mayan, 40, told Reuters at the sprawling Shamsa Children's Village in the north of the capital.

"We are now trying to run the place with very little money and with little food," he added. 
(Open&nbsp;in an external browser to see a picture package on Kabul`s struggling orphanage.)

There are around 130 children at the orphanage aged from three years upwards. It has been operational for more than a decade, and provides shelter for those who have lost both parents or just one who cannot afford to keep them.

Among them is nine-year-old Samira, from northeastern Badakhshan province who has been at the orphanage for almost two years after her father died and her mother did not have the means to support her or her brothers.

In the playground outside on a cool day in Kabul she plays with as much intensity as she studies, grinning widely as she goes higher on the swing. Despite her young age, she is already taking extra classes and wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

"I want to serve my homeland and save others from disease, and I also want other girls to study so that they become a doctor like me in the future," she told Reuters, with a sheepish grin.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/displaced-families-in-kabul-to-return-home-taliban-419096">Displaced families in Kabul to return home: Taliban</a>

Orphanages like this play an outsize role in Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in wars that have ravaged the country for more than 40 years.

The lack of funding, which has hit charities, non-governmental organisations and ordinary Afghans since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement took back control of the country, is forcing Mayan into tough choices.

The orphanage tried to send a few children back to relatives who were comparatively well off, but one by one they have returned.

Mayan said staff have had to reduce food portions and limit the types of food children eat. 
"Before we were providing them twice a week fruit and twice a week meat, but we cut those items to just once a week or maybe not even (that much)."

Cash Crunch

Facing an economic crisis as winter approaches, Taliban officials have urged Western governments to resume aid donations and called on the United States to lift a block on more than $9 billion of Afghan central bank reserves held overseas.

Many countries have refused to recognise the Taliban, who until recently were a jihadist insurgency fighting foreign troops and their Afghan allies.

Some governments are demanding that the group guarantees basic civil freedoms, including allowing girls to attend secondary school and women to work.

The Taliban, which banned all girls&nbsp;education when they ruled from 1996-2001, have said they are working on the issue.

Compounding the orphanage's problems is the weekly limit of $200 on bank withdrawals to avoid a run on hard currency, meaning access to funds is not enough to support the children and staff.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-say-islamic-state-cell-destroyed-after-mosque-attack-418068">&nbsp;Taliban say Islamic State cell destroyed after mosque attack</a>

Mayan fears that if the situation continues, the orphanage will not be able to function much longer.

That would be devastating for the children, who receive mathematics, English and computer lessons as well as physical education, not to mention food and shelter.

Samira, the aspiring doctor, is still able to go to school outside the orphanage premises because of her age, and she attends extra tuition classes in the afternoon to get ahead.

Hardship has not dented her ambition, but she also recognises that in order to achieve her goals, she may have to go abroad to study.

"I am not allowed to study here."

Ahmad Khalil Mayan, programme director at a large Kabul orphanage, says he is cutting back on the amount of fruit and meat he gives the children each week because the home is running out of money.

Ahmad Khalil Mayan, programme director at a large Kabul orphanage, says he is cutting back on the amount of fruit and meat he gives the children each week because the home is running out of money. For the last two months, since the Afghan Taliban seized control of the country and millions of dollars in aid suddenly dried up, he has been desperately calling and emailing donors, both foreign and local, who supported him before. Also Read | Thousands of Afghans receive assistance: UN agency "Unfortunately, most of them have left the country - Afghan donors, foreign donors, embassies. When I call them or email them, no one is answering me," Mayan, 40, told Reuters at the sprawling Shamsa Children's Village in the north of the capital. "We are now trying to run the place with very little money and with little food," he added. (Open in an external browser to see a picture package on Kabul`s struggling orphanage.) There are around 130 children at the orphanage aged from three years upwards. It has been operational for more than a decade, and provides shelter for those who have lost both parents or just one who cannot afford to keep them. Among them is nine-year-old Samira, from northeastern Badakhshan province who has been at the orphanage for almost two years after her father died and her mother did not have the means to support her or her brothers. In the playground outside on a cool day in Kabul she plays with as much intensity as she studies, grinning widely as she goes higher on the swing. Despite her young age, she is already taking extra classes and wants to be a doctor when she grows up. "I want to serve my homeland and save others from disease, and I also want other girls to study so that they become a doctor like me in the future," she told Reuters, with a sheepish grin. Also Read | Displaced families in Kabul to return home: Taliban Orphanages like this play an outsize role in Afghanistan, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in wars that have ravaged the country for more than 40 years. The lack of funding, which has hit charities, non-governmental organisations and ordinary Afghans since the hardline Islamist Taliban movement took back control of the country, is forcing Mayan into tough choices. The orphanage tried to send a few children back to relatives who were comparatively well off, but one by one they have returned. Mayan said staff have had to reduce food portions and limit the types of food children eat. "Before we were providing them twice a week fruit and twice a week meat, but we cut those items to just once a week or maybe not even (that much)." Cash Crunch Facing an economic crisis as winter approaches, Taliban officials have urged Western governments to resume aid donations and called on the United States to lift a block on more than $9 billion of Afghan central bank reserves held overseas. Many countries have refused to recognise the Taliban, who until recently were a jihadist insurgency fighting foreign troops and their Afghan allies. Some governments are demanding that the group guarantees basic civil freedoms, including allowing girls to attend secondary school and women to work. The Taliban, which banned all girls education when they ruled from 1996-2001, have said they are working on the issue. Compounding the orphanage's problems is the weekly limit of $200 on bank withdrawals to avoid a run on hard currency, meaning access to funds is not enough to support the children and staff. Also Read | Taliban say Islamic State cell destroyed after mosque attack Mayan fears that if the situation continues, the orphanage will not be able to function much longer. That would be devastating for the children, who receive mathematics, English and computer lessons as well as physical education, not to mention food and shelter. Samira, the aspiring doctor, is still able to go to school outside the orphanage premises because of her age, and she attends extra tuition classes in the afternoon to get ahead. Hardship has not dented her ambition, but she also recognises that in order to achieve her goals, she may have to go abroad to study. "I am not allowed to study here."

Kabul orphanage struggles to feed its children as cash runs low

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