Afghanistan Projects

Emergency Relief in Remote Afghanistan

When disaster strikes in remote parts of Afghanistan, Global Partners stands ready to help people in their time of need. We don’t just send money; we go to afflicted areas and get our hands dirty. Compassion goes a long way in Afghanistan, and our local and international staff go out of their way to help people survive disasters and get back on their feet. Our priority is long-term community development – and we are intentional about converting our disaster response to development as quickly as possible. But sometimes, simple emergency relief is just the right thing to do.

Disaster Response in Ghor Province: Global Partners completed the following four emergency relief projects during the first six months of 2010:
1. In cooperation with the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, GP Ghor provided a monthly food allotment (rice, oil, tea, sugar, flour) for internally displaced families in Chaghcharan. The number of families assisted was initially limited to 100 monthly, but later expanded to 200.

2. In cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works and the Ghor Provincial Disaster Relief Committee, GP Ghor provided a cash-for-work program that hired approximately 600 villagers in 4 different villages to manually clear the snow from the mountain pass roads leading into their villages this winter. In addition, approximately 80 widows or disabled people were given direct food aid in these villages.

Read “Shovels Instead of Guns”

3. In cooperation with a disaster management team sent from the central government in Kabul as well as the Ghor Provincial Disaster Management Ministry, GP Ghor responded to a request for aid related to extensive flooding after heavy spring rains. This flooding caused widespread damage to homes and crops as well as the loss of approximately 30 human lives and thousands of sheep and goats. GP Ghor provided rented vehicles for the government teams to make field surveys. Food was provided for 900 families who had suffered extensive loss. Transportation was also provided to help distribute non-food items from the government and other agencies.

4. The Ghor governor’s office and the Disaster Management Team requested that GP Ghor provide emergency food relief during the winter for approximately 95 families that were acutely stranded in mountain villages after having to leave their homes during the winter because of tribal conflicts. We responded as requested and successfully delivered emergency food relief.

Samangon Disaster Response
In April and May of 2010, Samangon Province was struck by an Earthquake, and then by flooding as a result of rain. GP responded with emergency relief to 600 families affected by the earthquake and 600 families affected by the flooding. Each family received an emergency food ration of 24KG of rice, 25 Kg of flour, and 1liter of oil.

Baghlan Flood Relief
Heavy rains late in the season caused widespread flooding to many areas of northeastern Afghanistan. In Baghlan Province alone, over 3,000 households were affected. Few NGOs were able to respond quickly to this natural disaster, but Global Partners provided the third largest response to these dire needs (behind only the WFP and IOM). We provided 300 flood-affected families with a ration, per family, of 50kg of flour, 25kg of rice, a 5L bottle of cooking oil, and a tent for shelter.

Jelga Wedding Disaster, Baghlan Province
As reported in the international media, Jelga District of Baghlan Province suffered a horrible tragedy in late October when a house hosting a wedding party consisting of mostly women and children collapsed killing almost fifty guests. The impact of this disaster in this rural and very remote area was tremendous. Global Partners was approached by the provincial governor’s office to provide food relief for three months to the affected homes as winter was quickly approaching. Global Partners was able to provide wheat flour, beans, cooking oil, and salt for 46 families in Jelga District for a period of three months. Our response to this disaster was not only the fastest, but the largest among the NGO community in Baghlan.

Facts About Afghanistan

  • Area: 652,230 sq. km.
  • Borders: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
  • Arable Land: 12.13%
  • Natural Hazards: Earthquakes, droughts, flooding
  • Population: 29,835,392 (July 2011 est.)
  • Urban Population: 23% of total population (2010)
  • Infant Mortality Rate: 149.2 deaths / 1,000 live births (#2 in world)
  • Life Expectancy at Birth: 45.02 years
  • Literacy (age 15+ can read and write): 28.1% (Male: 43.1%; Female: 12.6%)
  • GDP - per capita (PPP): $900 USD (2010 est.)

More About Afghanistan:

The population of Afghanistan is about thirty million. Pashtuns are the predominant ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising forty-two percent of the population. Other ethnic groups include the Tajiks (twenty-seven percent), Hazaras (nine percent), Uzbeks (nine percent) and other minority groups such as the Aimak, Turkmen and Baluch. Dari is the official language of the government. However, many other languages are spoken in Afghanistan, including Pashtu, Hazaragi, Uzbek, and Turkmen. Religiously, Afghanistan is over ninety-nine percent Muslim, with an estimated eighty percent Sunni Muslims and an estimated nineteen percent Shiite Muslims.

Read a brief history of Afghanistan

Today, Global Partners works alongside the United Nations and many other international NGOs to provide essential development and support. Afghanistan's infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and water sanitation, is in poor condition. Medical care is lacking, especially in rural areas. This results in a national life expectancy of only forty-five years, the second highest infant mortality rate in the world, and the highest rate of maternal mortality. Furthermore, the educational system is struggling to recover after decades of war; less than thirty percent of men are literate and only about thirteen percent of women. Cultivation of poppies also remains a significant concern, as Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium. Although there has been a great deal of reconstruction in the past ten years, much, much more is needed in order to alleviate poverty, provide adequate health care, create economic opportunities, and educate the next generation.