Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has distributed $250,000 worth of winterisation aid to 2,500 families in Afghanistan as part of its ‘2016-2017 Warm Winter’ campaign.
In a statement, QRCS said the campaign aims to alleviate the suffering of destitute, homeless, and displaced families, and helping them withstand the freezing weather.
Some of the items given to beneficiaries included blankets, winter clothes of varying sizes, and tarpaulins, in accordance with the shelter and nonfood items standards.
QRCS personnel co-ordinated with the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) and local authorities in target regions for selecting the beneficiaries.
A special focus was given to the families with orphans, disabilities, widows, or elderly people who have no breadwinners.
In October 2016, QRCS and ARCS signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct logistic and technical preparations, shortlisting of beneficiaries, and specifying the amount of aid items to be supplied.
Four provinces were covered by the campaign: Kunduz (900 families), Panjshir (500), Bamyan (500), and Oruzgan (600). Most of these families live in mountain caves and rocky foothills, with nearly no source to warm them. Every family received four blankets, three jackets for children, two jackets for adults, and one piece of tarpaulin.
Alyaa, a widow with three children, thanked QRCS for this aid amid the chilling temperature. Abdul-Rahim, a person with disability and a father of seven children, said he was happy to benefit from the aid, thanking the effort of QRCS and ARCS to reach out to remote areas and help those in need.
Bamyan governor Taher Dhahir lauded QRCS’ contribution for providing some of the needs of the province’s poor population.
“This intervention is a true manifestation of solidarity. We hope that this support would continue especially in education, healthcare, and other sectors in the country’s most challenged province,” he added.
QRCS and ARCS deliver some items to poor families living in the mountains.
