Catholic Relief Services' South Asia Regional Director, Sean Callahan, just returned from a visit to local Afghan partner Coordination of Afghan Relief (CoAR) in Kabul, Afghanistan and offered the following reflections on what he saw there: "The Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday is coming and some businesses are open in the city. People are slowly testing the limits of their new freedom," explained Callahan. "We visited with our local partner and saw a few relief distributions in the area. CoAR is really committed and working hard under difficult circumstances."
CoAR, with CRS' support, completed its first distribution of emergency relief supplies in Afghanistan in late November and has since successfully transported several food shipments into Kabul, Afghanistan and other provinces. The distributions, which will continue throughout the winter, are arriving at a key time as nighttime temperatures have begun to dip into the single digits around Kabul.

Tanya Axisa, CRS' Head of the Office in Quetta, Pakistan has been distributing supplies in the Mohammed Khail refugee camp. "Entering the camp is like entering a lost city in the midst of a deserted landscape. All around are the ruins of old refugee camps dating back to the Afghan-Russian war 20 years ago. You can see Afghanistan in the distance. In the camp itself, there are no other shelters beside the tents. There is only one tree. The camp is very hot and dusty during the day and freezing at night. Currently, there is only one very small distribution center, which is always very crowded. The refugees are very malnourished but resilient." Axisa feels that helping people like the residents of Mohammad Khail camp is what makes her job fulfilling.

Helping Those in Need

To date, more than $3 million has been supplied for emergency needs in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The funds have come from a variety of sources including CRS commitments, private donors, Caritas agencies and the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Thanks to this support, CRS will be able to reach some 378,000 people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition, CRS aims to raise $50 million to feed and house Afghan refugees in Pakistan through the upcoming winter and help the Afghan people in the post-war recovery in Afghanistan. The agency will continue to work with local partners in both countries, as well as with a consortium of Caritas agencies to further relief efforts in the region. Activities to date include:

Relief supplies to be distributed
Afghanistan
Items	Estimated Beneficiaries
Blankets	324,000
Food (900 metric tons)	24,000
Pakistan
Items	Estimated Beneficiaries
Blankets	13,000
Tents	5,000
Food (163 metric tons)	13,000

Afghanistan

CRS' local Afghan partner CoAR began distributing food rations and blankets to at-risk Afghans in late November. Nearly 20,000 blankets and food rations, which include wheat flour, red kidney beans, oil and sugar were distributed in November. Several additional food shipments arrived in Afghanistan in early December for distribution in Kabul and other provinces.

Pakistan

CRS in conjunction with local partner Ockenden International distributed food, clothing and art and educational materials to 3,184 Afghan refugee children in the Shamshatoo refugee camp in early December. Last summer, CRS sponsored an art contest between the children. The 153 best drawings were selected by their teachers and sent to CRS. Those children will receive, in addition to the above, school bags filled with coloring books, crayons, notebooks and educational games.

Working with local partner Pak-CDP in the Old Bagzai camp, 175 latrines and 10 water reservoirs have been constructed. The reservoirs have been cleaned and are ready for use. Each will hold 2,100 to 2,600 gallons of much needed water.

CRS in conjunction with local partners Caritas Germany and Save the Children-UK, finished an emergency aid distribution in the Jalozai refugee camp in mid-November. The distribution reached approximately 13,000 beneficiaries (2,500 families) and included food (wheat flour, red kidney beans, oil, sugar and tea), blankets and tents.

CRS has been invited by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to carry out a distribution of food and necessities to 3,000 new refugees who are moving into the Mohammad Khail refugee camp. The distributions have begun and will continue three times a week for one month.

CRS and its partners in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province have committed to providing water, latrines, and health and sanitation education in three of the newly identified refugee camps. So far, CRS in conjunction with its local partner Pak-CDP has completed construction of 175 latrines and 10 water tanks in one of the camps.

CRS' second office in Peshawar, Pakistan, where a number of Afghan refugee camps are already located, is now fully operational. CRS' main office is located in Islamabad, Pakistan and continues to facilitate all of CRS' regular work.

Background

The people of Afghanistan are suffering from earthquakes, droughts and years of war. CRS has been assisting the people of Afghanistan for the last ten years and in 1997 became the lead agency of the newly formed Caritas Organizations for Aid to Afghanistan (COFAA). This cooperative effort on the part of CRS, Caritas Germany, Caritas France and Caritas Denmark focused on humanitarian assistance, health, education and infrastructure rehabilitation. CRS continues to work with Caritas partners and, most recently, has been providing aid through local Afghan partner Coordination of Afghan Relief (CoAR) to reach the most needy people around Kabul.

Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan, is also being challenged by multiple crises ranging from flooding to drought to sheltering Afghan refugees fleeing drought and war. CRS has been working in Pakistan for nearly 50 years. The agency began its work in Pakistan by providing emergency aid, but expanded its activities to include providing small-business loans to women in support of economic self-sufficiency, promoting education, and supporting conflict resolution initiatives aimed at promoting harmony between religious groups. Even during these uncertain times, all of CRS' regular work in Pakistan continues uninterrupted.

CRS works in more than 80 countries and territories around the world to promote peace and justice and remains committed to helping those in need wherever they may be regardless of creed. Realizing that the needs of those affected by the current crisis will continue for a long time to come, the agency intends to continue relief efforts for as long as necessary.

Donations can also be made by calling:
1-800-736-3467
or by sending checks to:
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090.

Copyright=A92001 CRS