Doha: In continuation of its relief intervention for the victims of floods that hit northern Afghanistan last April, the Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) Office in Afghanistan distributed a new batch of relief assistance to some affected families.
Done in logistic partnership with Afghan Red Crescent (ARC) staff, who helped in purchasing, distribution, and selection of recipient families, the purpose of the distribution is to improve living conditions and preserve the dignity of the affected populations in target regions by securing their most basic needs.
The stage covered 500 families in Fayzabad District, Jowzjan Province, and Gosfandi District, Sar-e Pol Province. Selection included the poorest families and families with widows or orphans and those still unable to go back to their flood-demolished homes.
The QRC-ARC team distributed 500 food packages, each containing 112.6 kg of food, including flour, rice, vegetable oil, beans, sugar, green tea and table salt. They also handed over 500 nonfood packages, each containing four blankets, one straw mattress, one 20-litre water container, kitchenware, and tarpaulin sheets.
Commenting on the project, Gosfandi District mayor, Ghulam Sakhi Wira, said, “This is the first aid of such size and quality to reach the true poor and the true needy. We thank QRC for this indescribable support.”
He demanded the humanitarian organisations working inside and outside Afghanistan to consider these regions, which are underprivileged, and to execute their development programmes there.
Regarding the suffering of local community, Wira said, “I would like to note that there are too many poor people. Here, the poverty rate exceeds 80 percent, who find nothing whatsoever to eat. The remaining percentage are poor too, but they can hardly live hand-to-mouth for just one day.”
The local community was very happy with the provisions, which are the first humanitarian aid to reach them at all. They found the size very sufficient and larger than their expectations. They thanked QRC for purchasing and distributing this generous assistance.
Late in April, the northern part of the country experienced heavy rains for three consecutive days, which resulted in at least 3,000 deaths and thousands were left homeless populations. More than 5,700 homes were damaged and 2,000 completely destroyed.
THE PENINSULA
