Emergency Appeal Earthquake Badakhshan Afghanistan

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are very pleased to inform you that thanks to your generous donations we have collected funds to allow us to provide so needed and necessary support in Badakhshan. On May 2014 landslides struck Argo district of Badakhshan causing significant loss of life and widespread damage to about 350 households, letting families homeless.

We were raising funds for two projects in Badakhshan province simultaneously:

1) Emergency Appeal Earthquake Badakhshan, Afghanistan (10 USD collected) and

2) Winterization Aid for Afghan Landslide Victims in Badakhshan, Afghanistan (445 USD collected).

The funds raised were not sufficient to implement them separately. After several submitted request for funds to various communities, we were able to secure an amount of 5000 CHF (aprox. 5175 USD) from one of the communes in Geneva, Switzerland. We proudly received the above mentioned sum for winterization support, and since the area was same and the population was of the same province, consequently we decided to join the amounts collected form above two mentioned projects of GlobalGiving and the amount from Geneva’s commune (which jointly made 5560 USD after paying fees) and allocate them to winterization support for Badakhshan people.

Our collaboration with Afghanid – which started from 2014 for distribution of Water Filters to landslide victims still continued. Through our networking we learned that the most deprived communities are in Jurm district and during the recent emergency relief projects they benefited the least from food donations or any other type of support. Therefore, our focus and target area was set “Jurm district”.

Due to warfare in the Warduj district of Badakhshan during the beginning of the winter season, which ultimately is located on the main road passing from Faizabad (center of Badakhshan Province) to several districts of the province, our support activities in the field were postponed until late December 2015. However, we are delighted to inform you about the successful implementation of our planned winterization program in January 2016.

Due to your valuable support, households from three villages of Jurm District of Badakhshan province who were directly affected by landslide received the winterization supports. The households were selected in collaboration with Afghanaid[1].  

Total number of beneficiaries was 96 households (an approximately 700 people). Each household received 210 kg of wood and one locally produced, multipurpose heater which can be used for heating, cooking and water boiling for 3 to 4 years. It is important to mention that we engaged only local manufacturers to supply the heaters. This was done with the purpose to help not only those affected by the disaster, but also to empower Afghan manufacturers by providing them work opportunity.

Please find attached some photos taken during the distribution of local-made metal heaters and wood to affected families in Badakhshan. We believe that distributed devices will improve the living conditions of people living in informal settlements in Badakhshan, reduce their vulnerability towards extreme winter temperatures and help avoid illnesses and death during a couple of years.

We thank you for your support and we hope to maintain our partnership active in the future.

Best regards,

AfD's team

[1]A British NGO that works in Badakhshan for the last 30 years (www.afghanaid.org)