Executive Summary
Drought and food shortages in the northeast
region of Shar-e Bezurg in Takhar Province have resulted in dangerous levels
of malnutrition among children and reported starvation. SNI has conducted
two survey trips in the region, confirming that people have eaten much
of their livestock and seeds and are now surviving on soups made of grass
and herbs.
Needy IDP families that SNI has been helping in Rustaq and Deshta-e-Qala have now received over 633 MT of WFP wheat and as part of OFDA's emergency relief six thousand liters of cooking oil, 2,360 kitchen sets, and 31,000 kg of beans.
SNI, with funding from OFDA, distributed in January and February nearly all of 9,300 blankets, over 3,700 sandalee Stoves, 1,100 wood stoves, and 20,016 seer of firewood to help needy IDP & host families stay warm through the cold winter.
Work continues with funding from OFDA on the housing component of the IDP/Host family relief effort. Already over 800 additions or improvements to houses have been completed for those families that chose to host an IDP family this winter.
With funding from Global Partner, SNI continues to operate a bakery, distributing 2,760 nans per day for the most vulnerable IDPs in Faisabad.
Famine and Drought in Northern Afghanistan
Due to the recent drought in northern Afghanistan, the District of Shar-e-Buzurg is experiencing a severe food shortage. According to the first assessment and reports from the villages, there have already been 509 deaths among 6,092 families surveyed, 322 of which were children. In the second assessment of Pasakoh region, 196 deaths were reported from over 1,600 families. It is hard to confirm exactly that these deaths are due to starvation but what is confirmed is that many people are living on boiled grass, some seeds, and wild plants. Many more are weak and malnourished due to lack of food and have sold or eaten most of their meager food reserves, seeds, and livestock over the winter to stay alive. One man, who survived the devastating earthquake in 1998 and two decades of war, said that this past year was the toughest year he had ever lived through.
A multi-organizational assessment team from Faizabad and a team from SNI went to Shar-e-Buzurg to confirm the situation. Their report was similar to SNI's assessment, describing the area as having a severe food shortage and in need of immediate assistance. A separate report is available detailing the finding of these assessments.
Children - As is often the case, children are the segment of the population that is at most risk. The grass mixture that is eaten does not supply the needed nutrients for their bodies and in every village the team visited they saw children who had sunken eyes and swollen stomachs. A mid-arm circumference measurement was performed on approximately 90% of the one to five year old children in two villages. The result was 60 to 85 percent were borderline malnourished (arm size of 13.5 to 14.5 cm) and 25% to 60% of the children were dangerously malnourished (arm size of less than 13.5 cm).
Crops - All the villages have sowed some seed, on average less than 15 to 25% of a normal year. There is very little irrigated land in this area. Approaching many of the villages the survey team could see fields planted with wheat that had sprouted and was six to twelve inches high. However, the soil is extremely dry and if there is no rain in the next month the crops will be lost.
Live Stock - All of the villages had some animals, including chickens and small goats but the number per village varied and are small. It remains to be seen, however, whether they will soon begin eating these animals or begin leaving the villages in search of food.
Host/IDP Relief & Shelter
Because of the unrest in Northern Afghanistan there remains over 50,000 IDPs living in northern Takhar Province. SNI, with the help of WFP and funding from USAID/OFDA, is helping about 15,000 IDPs in the Districts of Dashti-Qala and Rustaq with both food and non-food items. In spite of the adverse weather conditions, the difficulty of travel in the region and the unstable security situation our SNI staff has been faithfully implementing the project.
Relief Distributions - All of the emergency relief items have been distributed to the needy displaced people. Our staff worked hard to see that nearly 5,000 host and homeless families received blankets, stoves, and firewood during the cold winter months. Food items such as cooking oil and beans were distributed at various times with used clothes and cooking utensils given out in time for the Afghan New Year on March 21st. In an almost heroic effort, WFP wheat of over 633 tons was given out in two distributions to over 3,500 IDP families in the mud and cold of November and February.
These combined resources have most certainly had an impact on stabilizing the IDP population and keeping them from relocating to camps in other locations. Often in addition, the poorest of the IDPs are also the ones that live the closest to the front lines. On two occasions survey teams came across IDPs with almost nothing that were living in villages close to the fighting. They were extremely grateful for the assistance of blankets, WFP wheat, beans, oil, and firewood. In one village close to the front lines, having 66 IDP families, a second safer distribution point was arranged for them. The families were full of gratitude as they anxiously waited for the SNI Kamaz loaded with wheat. Our staff feels privilege to help in an area that has suffered so much from the war and drought.
Shelter Improvements - In Rustaq and Nowabad, about 800 home improvements are finished for the local families that agreed to host IDPs. The goal is to provide better shelter for the IDPs as well as to enhance the value and sanitation of the host family home. So far, the IDP/Host Family Project has been a huge success as nearly everyday people comment about the project and its benefits. The local community is grateful for the new roof, shelter, or latrine and it has created a better atmosphere as the Host and IDP family work together on the improvements. Our engineers and supervisors are working hard to distribute the needy items and to monitor the work. SNI also participated with UNOCHA in relocating 58 IDP families who were staying in schools in Faisabad. They now have their own shelter.