Welthungerhilfe helps refugees
in Afghanistan to survive the winter
Winter in Afghanistan is a very harsh season. In Kabul, temperatures can reach below -20 °C. In the winter months, even people living in solid houses can hardly cope with the extreme weather conditions, the ice and the strong winds in the capital. But it is much worse for the thousands of people who live in informal settlements. Supported by the German Foreign Ministry Welthungerhilfe helps about 25,000 refugees to survive the winter.
No protection against the cold
The families in the settlements live in makeshift shelters made of mud, cartons and garbage. They have no access to potable water, adequate food and healthcare. Many of them suffer from pneunomia, skin diseases, anemia and diarrhea. They are rarely – if ever - treated. The inhabitants of the camps try to make ends meet by begging, selling scrap, or performing other odd jobs, earning one or two Euros a day.
Distribution of basic help for approximatly 4,000 families
- Winter in Kabul
Welthungerhilfe is one of the few organizations providing aid to the inhabitants of Kabul's informal camps. The needs of the beneficiaries were evaluated through regular meetings with camp representatives and assessments by Welthungerhilfe staff. The national project partner "Aschiana", an Afghan NGO, has worked in the camps for several years. The Welthungerhilfe office also cooperates with UNHCR and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates which welcomed and supported these activities in the camps.
Approximately 4,000 families (about 25,000 persons) are receiving winterization kits with tarpaulins, ground sheets, stoves, wood for heating as well as the provision of basic healthcare. A mobile health station provides the inhabitants with medicine and treatments. In the first week of operations more than 450 patients were supported. Since the environmental health conditions in the settlements are dramatic, Welthungerhilfe has so far held health and hygiene education activities to more than 500 people.
Winter assistance saves lives, but it does not solve the underlying problems that make Kabul’s informal settlements some of the poorest areas of Afghanistan. To respond to those structural issues, Welthungerhilfe Kabul is accomplishing a follow up project since spring 2011. It provides the inhabitants with literacy courses, health education and Cash For Work income opportunities. It also have a focus on recreational "child-friendly activities" for the children living in the camps. Through this approach, Welthungerhilfe seeks to improve the basic social and health conditions in informal settlements, especially for children, in Kabul City.
Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V.
Sparkasse KölnBonn
Account No.: 1115
Bank Code: 370 501 98
Welthungerhilfe in Afghanistan
Since the beginning of our activities in Afghanistan in 1980, Welthungerhilfe has carried more than 120 projects amounting to a total of 63 million euros. Our main activities include rehabilitation of local and rural infrastructure, food security, protection of resources and strengthening of civil society.
Current News Coverage
The New York Times:
Driven Away by a War, Now Stalked by Winter’s Cold
More Information
Specialist concept for "Rural Development"
Policy Paper No. 1/2008: Cooperation with armed forces
