Afghanistan: Winter relief distribution

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

This Bulletin (no. 01/2007) is being issued for information only, and reflects the status of the situation and information available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at this time. For further information specifically related to this operation please see contact details on the last page.

The Situation

From mid-2006, Afghanistan has been beset by various natural and man-made disasters. Droughts were widespread, particularly in the central, northern and south-western regions. Increased clashes between the Coalition Forces and anti-government elements in the southern provinces caused the local communities to migrate to safer neighbouring provinces. In early November, torrential rain caused flooding in the northern, eastern and western regions of the country.

Following the floods, the country faced an early harsh winter, with heavy snowfall at the end of November and temperatures hovering below zero. The affected people were not prepared for the early cold conditions.

From 1-31 December, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), with support from the Federation, provided assistance by distributing non-food items (blankets, kitchen sets and coal stoves) to 7,947 of the most vulnerable families (55,629 individuals) affected by the early winter. The distribution operation took place in the four main regions of Afghanistan (central, north, east and west) except the south, where the security situation remained volatile during this period. The operation covered the following categories:

1. Drought-affected families, who were severely affected by the climate change;
2. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), who were affected by drought or conflict;
3. Returnees from Iran and Pakistan;
4. Destitute families who were surviving on below USD1 a day.

The selection of beneficiaries among the targeted groups was identified by the ARCS branches staff members and trained volunteers, in collaboration with local governmental authorities at provincial level.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action

The ARCS provincial branches, with the technical support of the Federation, were involved in providing direct assistance to beneficiaries who have been affected by the drought, IDPs, returnees and the most vulnerable families in the community. Based on an agreed plan of action, distribution and transportation costs to beneficiaries were covered by the respective ARCS provincial branches. A total of 305 ARCS trained volunteers and staff members actively participated in the winter relief operation in 28 provinces in abovementioned four regions.

The non-food items comprised of one kitchen set (cooking utensils and dining ware), three blankets and one coal stove per family. However, the Federation sub-delegation in Jalalabad (east region) received 1,900 cooking sets (two cooking pots) that were distributed to the beneficiaries instead of kitchen sets. These cooking sets were dispatched from the Federation warehouses in Kabul.

The table below indicates the winter distribution in the four regions of the country.

The non-food items were pre-positioned stocks donated by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) during the severe winter and spring flood operations in 2005-2006. Having these stocks immediately available through the generosity of ECHO meant that they would be distributed very quickly, thereby increasing the positive impact on the affected population. The distributed items were marked with ECHO stickers for prominent visibility.

Coordination

With the support of the Federation, the ARCS coordinated the winter relief distribution of non-food items with the ICRC at all levels as well as with the local governmental authorities. The Afghan government's Department for Disaster Preparedness (DDP), whose mandate at national level is to coordinate all humanitarian relief assistance, appreciated the ARCS and Federation's initiative in assisting thousands of needy families cope through the harsh winter conditions and before the colder months of January and February cause further casualties amongst the beneficiaries.

Communications - advocacy and public information

The winter relief operation helped to raise the national society and ECHO's profile among the general public throughout the country. The operation received wide local media coverage, which helped to promote and highlight the nature of the ARCS's work in supporting the vulnerable communities.

How we work

All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.

The Federation's Global Agenda

The International Federation undertakes activities that are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".

Global Agenda Goals:

- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.

Contact information

For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:

Afghanistan Red Crescent Society: Fatima Gailani (president); email: fatigli@yahoo.com; Mobile: 93.79.385.533

Federation country delegation in Afghanistan: Davood Pourkhanali (head of delegation); email: davood.pourkhanali@ifrc.org; mobile: +93.70.274.881; fax: +87.33.8228.0534

Federation South Asia regional delegation in India: Anitta Underlin (head of regional delegation); email: anitta.underlin@ifrc.org; phone: +91.11. 2411.1125; fax: +91.11. 2411.1128

Federation Secretariat in Geneva (Asia Pacific department): Hiroto Oyama (regional officer); email: hiroto.oyama@ifrc.org; Phone: +41.22.730.4273; Fax: +41.22.733.0395 or Nelly Khrabraya (senior assistant); email: nelly.khrabraya@ifrc.org; phone: +44.22.730.4429; fax: +41.22 733.0395