For years before the Taliban seized power and the economy collapsed, Jamila and her four children had clung to the edge of survival.

After her husband died tryingto cross the Iranian border, she and her children moved to a camp for displaced people in northwestern Afghanistan and relied on aid organizations.

One group brought her oil, flour and rice — food that kept her family from starving.

Another gave her children pens and notebooks — the only supplies they had in primary school. A third vaccinated them against measles, polio and other illnesses.

But when Jamila tried to arrange an emergency parcel of food in late December, the aid worker cut the call short, explaining that the organization had suspended its operations: Last month the Afghan government barred women from working in most local and international aid groups, prompting many to stop their work. Jamila’s heart sank.

“If they are not allowed, we will die of hunger,” said Jamila, 27, who goes by only one name. “We are starving.”

Just weeks since the Taliban administration’s decree, women across the country are grappling with the disappearance of lifesaving aid that their families and the country have relied on since the country plunged into a humanitarian crisis.

For many women and girls, the new edict removed one of the few remaining outlets for employment and public life.

Given the conservative system that had existed in Afghanistan even before the Taliban took power last year, aid groups had relied on female workers to reach other women and their families, who were often segregated.