The IRC distributes emergency aid to more Afghans in need
Family leaders in Afghanistan's Badghis province head to their temporary homes with blankets, stoves, and other essentials provided by the IRC to get them through to the end of winter
KABUL, Afghanistan - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has provided 250 families with essential items to help them survive this particularly bitter winter in northwestern Afghanistan. The families fled their homes late last year in and around Badghis province, due to violence in the region. Almost all are now living in cramped conditions on steep hillsides, with limited access to water, and no hygienic method of disposing of human waste. While severely cold temperatures are plaguing Badghis — and much of Afghanistan — a severe drought is contributing to what the IRC's country director in Afghanistan, Nigel Jenkins, describes as a “desperate situation.”
This past weekend, an IRC team loaded a truck with blankets, stoves, jerry cans, kitchen kits, and water purification tablets to distribute to those in the most need. Given that many of the recipients are melting snow or using pieces of plastic wrap to harvest water, the chlorine tablets will help keep their limited supplies clean. “If we can provide something longer term, we certainly will," Jenkins said.
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