KABUL, Afghanistan - Servicemembers and civilian volunteers from the International Security Assistance Force partnered with non-governmental organization Sozo International to bring help and hope to refugees at Barek Aub, a camp for displaced individuals and families located outside Bagram, Afghanistan, 31 October.
Seventy ISAF volunteers in 10 vehicles made the trip to unload 22 pallets of donations from around the world. Socks and shoes, blankets, warm winter jackets, soccer balls, notebooks and crayons were just a few of the items passed out.
"There was a big difference between this and the last refugee camp I went to," said Master Sergeant Alex Czodel of the Romanian Army. "This was worse. They are in the open, far away from the city. There are a lot of things to be done here, a lot of work to do, a lot of help needed."
"We brought thirty boxes from the Army of [the Former Yugoslav Republic of] Macedonia," said Army Captain Valil Matavsqi, a citizen of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. "Everything was new and approved by our government. We brought them from [the Former Yugoslav Republic of] Macedonia by plane, and we divided it to all the people here."
One thousand family packs made from U.S. donations were carefully organized by Sozo International, were also a huge part of the hand out to Barek Aub's refugees. Additionally, two hundred and sixty-seven needy families received a rucksack full of necessities courtesy of the Norwegian Army.
"I think it's very apparent that the non-governmental organizations and the Afghan government are working to help this particular group. They have the school, the clinic, they have everything right there," said Staff Sergeant Matthew Morgan of the U.S. Marines. "It was a lot like a little town, a community, but you could definitely see they were in need of things."
The Barek Aub refugee camp is the largest in the vicinity of Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul, housing 600 families and 3,000 displaced individuals.
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