Afghans Can't Be Sure of Even One Meal a Day, Says Aid Group

By Ethan Cole, Christian Post Reporter Monday, March 02, 2009

Drought-stricken and internally displaced, many Afghans can't even be assured of one good meal a day for themselves and their family, reported a Church World Service staff on Friday.

"Life continues to be difficult for all Afghans, but the tens of thousands of displaced Afghans and returnees from Pakistan and Iran are particularly at risk," says CWS Asia and Pacific Region Coordinator Marvin Parvez, who has also directed the CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan program.

Afghanistan is facing the most severe drought in a decade that has deepened the country's food crisis. Oxfam International, a U.K.-based relief agency, estimated last fall that five million people in Afghanistan will face severe food shortages this winter.

In response to the dire needs, Church World Service announced on Friday that it was providing immediate assistance to the most vulnerable in three hard-hit provinces – Nangarhar, Takhar, and Laghman.

In these areas, drought has severely affected the food security and there has been an influx of returnees from neighboring countries, resulting in increased demand for food.

The agency is assisting to build greater and sustainable food production, increase the efficiency of existing irrigation systems, provide clean water for families, and increase communities' resilience by strengthening livelihoods.

CWS is also helping some 1,300 farmers in Nangarhar and Takhar who are preparing for next winter's cropping this month. CWS is providing educational training, agricultural inputs to boost climate-adapted agricultural production, and rehabilitation of irrigation systems for increased efficiency and to lessen damage from future droughts.

To 500 farmers, CWS teams are supplying 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of seeds and 110,000 pounds (50 metric tons) of fertilizers and pesticides. The agency is also providing a clean water supply for 1,000 families, and constructing or drilling 40 water supply wells.

Another 300 people in these regions are participating in "food for work" projects constructing shelter for their families, while about 200 families are receiving free food packages.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 4.4 billion pounds (2.2 million tons) of cereals need to be imported to the country this year to meet basic needs. About 3 billion pounds of cereals are expected to be imported commercially, but the rest will need to be supplied by international donors, the agency said.