The number of women and children begging in Mazar-e-Sharif, as with Kabul and other large cities, is staggering. It is no exaggeration that near the Rowza-e-Mazar beggars outnumber working citizens. Since the 1992 takeover of the city by fundamentalist forces, the number of beggars has increased and each day more people are forced to beg for their livelihood.