Hope for Refugees
In Afghanistan the Welthungerhilfe runs fundamental development work and raises authorities’ awareness for important issues.
Afghanistan is a landlocked Central Asian country wracked by armed conflicts. After more than 25 years of civil war, the country has still not managed to find peace. In 2002, the outlook seemed hopeful, since people were able to elect a parliament and a president after the fall of the fundamental Islamist regime of the Taliban.
However, the armed conflict between the government, the Taliban and regional warlords is still ongoing and claims new victims on a daily basis. People are afraid and fleeing their homes. They seek asylum in other countries or safety in refugee camps within Afghanistan. As a result, the economy lies in ruin.
The People Know Nothing but War
Violence is particularly prevalent in rural areas, with many people fleeing to the province of Kabul, which is relatively safe in comparison to the rest of the country. The capital provides for approximately 40,000 internally displaced persons. They live in makeshift slums, typically in ramshackle mud huts without running water, electricity or adequate toilettes.
Families that live here have lost everything. They left their homes, land and livestock in order to survive. In the city, their culture is threatened, and they have few future prospects. The parents in these families never attended school because of the quarter-century of war. They, just like their children, are deeply traumatised by the war. Most of them have never experienced a time of peace. They have no access to medical care or education. There are no jobs to be had.
Fundamental Work by Welthungerhilfe
Welthungerhilfe is conducting fundamental development work in this area, beginning at the family level. Traumatised children gain self-confidence and trust toward others, all the while becoming familiar with democratic processes.
Adults, and women in particular, participate in educational and training measures in order to better support their families. However, this would not have a sustainable effect without the involvement of local authorities. To this end, Welthungerhilfe is raising awareness of internally displaced persons’ concerns among employees of the relevant authorities.
How Welthungerhilfe Supports People in Afghanistan
Welthungerhilfe is currently active in Afghanistan with the following projects:
- Around 25,000 internally displaced persons are being supported in the province of Kabul. Adults are learning to read and write.
- Most of them are women simultaneously attending training sessions for income-generating opportunities. At these sessions, they learn how to raise chickens or cultivate vegetables in the challenging environments of the camps. Tailoring courses offer the women prospects of an independent income.
- Welthungerhilfe has to exercise extreme caution in pursuing this goal. Traditional values are strongly represented throughout the country. Especially the employment of women threatens cultural conceptions of masculine identity. For this reason, men are also involved in the projects. They are educated on the importance of the women’s income for the survival of the family.
- Welthungerhilfe is operating playgrounds in 22 refugee camps throughout the province in conjunction with local partners. Their purpose is not merely to organise leisure activities but rather to teach social skills, such as conflict resolution or mutual cooperation, in a playful setting. In a country in which children know nothing but war, this is an investment in a peaceful future.
- The same applies to the child and youth conferences aimed at imparting democratic processes to children, during which children learn how to formulate and present their concerns.
- 75 public administration employees are being trained to recognise and support the special concerns of internally displaced persons. This effort intends to guarantee things that would otherwise be taken for granted, including schooling, health care, humane living conditions and healthy nutrition.
Please support Welthungerhilfe's work in Afghanistan with a donation. Ten euros provide a family with two chickens and a steady supply of eggs. 20 euros will cover materials for ten participants in a literacy course.
