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Afghanistan : Supporting conflict displaced populations in Maydan Wardak

Published on Tuesday 28 June 2016

In Maydan Wardak Province, hundreds of families had and have to leave their home under the threat of recurrent armed conflicts. SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is bringing assistance to those displaced families who now live in precarious conditions in the outskirt of the provincial capital, Maydan Shar.

 

Afghanistan Wardak

Since 2011, Maydan Wardak province has experienced a significant increase in the activities of armed groups opposed to the Afghan National Army. Facing insecurity, loss of production means, lack of access to markets, etc., many families make the crucial decision to leave behind all their belongings to settle in safer areas. In early January 2015, UNHCR reported that 27,794 people were displaced in Maydan Wardak by the conflict, most of them in the remote districts of Maydan Shahr.

Amina left her home due to the unsafe living conditions. “My husband was killed during a conflict when troops came to our village. Now I live alone with my children. The situation is very insecure due to on-going conflict and there is no school for my children.”

 

Emergency support to IDPs

Most displaced families arrive in Maydan Shar city without any belongings and rely on the support of local host communities. Having no sources of income, they have to borrow money in order to rent a room or a house, and purchase food. “I live with my cousin’s family in one house. I have rented two rooms in the backyard for me and my seven children”, explains Amina. “In Maydan Shar, I had no food or income, (…) our situation was very bad. We use only very low quality food to save money.” This situation is also affecting host communities which are already vulnerable due to the protracted conflict. It is indeed frequent to meet households of 12 to 16 people living in the same house or small compound.

Since 2015, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL has been providing emergency aid to displaced families and host communities. Cash assistance was provided to hundreds of families in order to cover their foods needs for the harsh winter. More recently, small kitchen gardening, poultry keeping and goat breeding are being supported in order for beneficiary households to recover an activity and provide a regular source of food and income.

Finally, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL regularly assesses malnutrition with every young child in the city. Children suffering from acute malnutrition are then referred to a partner medical NGO. “SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL provided me with poultry and currently I get 50 to 60 Afghani daily (0.7 to 0.85 USD). I found this activity very appropriate for food and business for lone women,” tells Amina.

Extending outreach

If most displaced families aim at settling in Maydan Shar city, many vulnerable families do not have the capacity or the means to move from their home or can only settle in smaller cities.
Most NGOs and national institutions don’t have access to those people due to on-going conflicts. A new Emergency Response Program enables teams SI to provide various kinds of support to victims of conflicts or natural disaster to cover their immediate needs.

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  • 180th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index
  • 146.500 people helped