Relief Teams Aid Afghans in Brutal Winter

HERAT, Afghanistan — As a brutal winter takes its toll on western Afghan provinces, thousands of people are in need of relief supplies.

In what is described as the harshest winter in decades, as much as five feet of snow has left villages in Herat and Ghor without sufficient food, heating fuel or access to medical care. It is reported that over 200 people and 40,000 farm animals have died in Herat province, which has been experiencing freezing temperatures over the past two weeks.

Much of Afghanistan is mountainous, and heavy winter snow makes it hard — if not impossible — to travel.

Catholic Relief Services Afghanistan has sent out emergency relief teams of engineers, hygiene promoters and field officers to assess the needs in the districts surrounding Herat and Ghor.

CRS had previously implemented a winterization program, funded by the Lithuanian government, that prepares vulnerable rural families in the area to meet their basic needs for survival during heavy winter conditions . Now the agency has committed another $50,000 of private funds to the emergency, and plans to seek additional funding for a large-scale response.

In addition, CRS provided heaters and fuel to transit centers for Afghans who have been deported from Iran , and the first three CRS district teams have started clearing roads in Adraskan, Koshk and Kohsan, with over 1,000 workers mobilized.

"Access right now is severely limited in most areas of Ghor. The main passes are closed, with government-supported teams trying to get them open. Implementing additional cash-for-work projects along secondary roads will provide quick cash to villages, while clearing the roads will enable greater access to people in need," says Nancy Hearne, CRS program coordinator in Ghor.

Thus far, relief efforts have cleared more than 90 miles of road, restoring access to 90 villages, and plans are under way for expanded work in both Herat and Ghor.

Food-for-work activities will also be a part of CRS' relief effort. "The rising cost of wheat is going to hit the poor very hard. Therefore, food for work, and food assistance to the very poor, is what is needed urgently," says Paul Hicks, CRS Afghanistan country representative. The area has experienced a recent increase in food costs, and there is a lack of food stocks in the local market along with blocked access to markets due to the extreme weather conditions.

This winter emergency follows a season of poor crop yields in Ghor which, according to USAID's Famine Early Warning System assessment, is likely to result in an estimated 230,000 people in need of 11,700 metric tons of food this winter into spring.

The CRS field emergency teams are trained in emergency preparedness, especially for winter conditions, and the agency is collaborating closely with the local leadership and government ministries to maximize the support available across the area.

The CRS teams are also equipped with first-aid kits, medicine, fuel, heaters, food, water supplies and transportation so they can work in the harsh conditions and make up for the dwindling supplies in local markets. The Ministry of Public Works is helping to clear the road from Chaghcharan to Herat, via Jam and Dahane-garmab, which is the main way into Shahrak and the southern part of Ghor.

Our Work in Afghanistan

CRS has worked in Afghanistan since 2001. With offices in the capital city of Kabul, western provinces of Herat and Ghor, and a new office in Bamiyan, CRS programs focus on long-term development projects reaching some of the poorest and most rural populations, and helping communities strengthen their means for self-sufficiency and an overall improved quality of life.