AFGHANISTAN: PREMIERE URGENCE INTERNATIONALE IS LAUNCHING AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE, FOR THE FIRST TIME
In Afghanistan, our teams have been contributing since 1979 to the improvement of medical services through various health programs.
In the East of the country, near the Pakistan borders, Kunar and Nangarhar regions are especially controlled by the armed opposition. The fightings, caused by the political tension, push the population away that is forced to leave the country for the safer neighboring districts.
However, since July, Pakistan is encouraging Afghans to return to their country by causing a very difficult and precarious situation, for the 5 000 people that everyday cross the borders without medical assistance and a satisfying life condition.
Raees Khan, for example, has been in the Nangarhar region with his family for the last 6 months. Because Daesh are fighting in their village, they were forced to abandon their house, possessions, livestock, crops and farmlands, recently learning that their village was set on fire. Yaar Khan, has returned from Pakistan 19 days ago, the police there, doesn’t allow him to do field work. With his family he battles daily against poverty.
Today, Kunar region counts between 150 000 and 200 000 people, as Raees Kahn and Yaar Khan. A survey amongst the population that returned from Pakistan, revealed that 70% of them will remain in this part of the country.
In this context, around ten health centers have closed and there isn’t any official camp. Consequently, humanitarian actor’s capacity to answer to this crises is strongly challenged.
“When we came to this village, PU-AMI’s Mobile Health Team (MHT) visited our area and treated my children and provided them with medications and I received counseling by a counselor in MHT as well”
affirms Raees Khan.
Face to face to the biggest refugees’ population, after the Syrian one, Première Urgence Internationale has decided to launch an emergency plan, for the first time.
The project, organised with the help of the CHF, consist of 4 mobile clinics, which will move around this region with a staff of 5 to 7 professionals, who will be in charge of consultations, vaccines and the distribution of “hygiene kits”.
This action is part of the larger project for a swift reply to the conflict’s victims. It started at the beginning of this year with The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) support.
In order to support the meteorological situation in winter, Première Urgence Internationale will also distribute a “winter kit”.
Despite the frontline help offered by Première Urgence Internationale, in favor of the Afghan population, conditions are still critics, especially in Torkham, mandatory passage for those who walk from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
For the end of the year, we forecast a movement of 800 000/ 1 million people from Pakistan. The risk is to generate a negative spiral of vulnerability, especially in the Nangarhar region.
On 4-5 October 2016, there was a Conference on Afghanistan in Brussels, bringing together more than 70 countries and 20 international organisations and agencies, with the aim to ensure continued international political and financial support for political and economic stability, state-building and development over the coming four years.
