Call for help with destitute families in winter cold

Tuesday, 31 January 2017 03:29 Written by  Heart of Asia Read 70 times

The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) says cold span has recently claimed the lives of 21 people in the country. A statement released by ANDMA as the country’s chief institution mandated to coordinate and manage all aspects related to disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response further states that 16 people were wounded, 21 homes destroyed and 59 others damaged as a result of heavy rain and snowfall in 15 provinces. Moreover, some access roads to districts in central and northern provinces were blocked by snow, facing local people with enormous hardships. 




This is not the first time Afghan people face with such problems during winter. Almost every year when winter is cold and there are heavy snowfalls, people are wrestling with a lot of problems from road closures to cold-related diseases. While this adventure is repeated every year, the government doesn’t have the preparedness necessary to respond to such incidents, and even institutions responsible for providing aid to disaster-affected populations only release statistical data as if they are statistics entities. If the government is delivering assistance to families affected by natural disasters, the relief funds are mostly embezzled and never reach the deserving people. 


Besides Afghan government, international relief agencies also have a responsibility to deliver assistance to disaster-affected persons to prevent a humanitarian crisis. There is more critical need for humanitarian assistance this year as compared to previous years because thousands of refugees have returned from Pakistani, and many more have been internally displaced by the ongoing war. 


In addition to the Afghan government and international aid agencies, Afghan people are also responsible to lend a helping hand to their fellow countrymen in times of hardship and disaster. Most rich families definitely have something they don’t use anymore, and so if they offer them to people in need, they can save them from the winter cold and many other problems. Waiting only for the assistance of government and relief agencies is not a solution. If every rich family helps a poor family, a major humanitarian crisis will be averted. 


To help destitute and deserving Afghan families, the government, international aid agencies and wealthy Afghans should join hands to pave the way for humanitarian assistance delivery to them through a transparent and workable mechanism.