Earthquake in Afghanistan
A devastating earthquake has caused severe destruction in eastern Afghanistan. Johanniter International Assistance is providing €50,000 in emergency aid and helping with two mobile clinics.
The clinics of our local partner OHW are being deployed in the severely affected province of Kunar to provide medical care in various villages. Up to 200 people can be treated daily.
Even days after the earthquake, it was still not possible to reach all villages in the affected provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar. Severe aftershocks are further exacerbating the situation. Nevertheless, teams of aid workers are making their way to the remote regions every day, some on foot.
On site, they encounter massive destruction and desperate people. For example, Nazmin from the village of Mijgandul in Kunar province. Nazmin lost three of her children in the earthquake. The two girls and one boy, aged between four and seven, were whiny in the evening because they were very hungry. Nazmin promised to get them something to eat the next day. The family slept with them in the house that night, even though they usually sleep outside at this time of year. It was a fatal decision. ‘On their last night, they fell asleep hungry,’ says Nazmin desperately.
Nazmin is like many other people in the villages. They work on fields that belong to others and live from hand to mouth. Poverty-related malnutrition is a massive problem in Afghanistan, affecting around 30 per cent of the population.
Malnourished people are particularly susceptible to disease, and wound healing and immune system function are impaired. To help the injured and sick, two mobile medical teams consisting of doctors, nurses, midwives and psychologists will travel to various villages over the next three months. The teams, which are being put together by Johanniter's partner organisation, the Organisation of Human Welfare, can treat up to 200 people a day. ‘They also carry medicines and provide psychosocial support. More serious cases are referred to clinics in larger towns,’ says Sayed Mokhtar, Johanniter's country office manager in Afghanistan.
Background
An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale shook eastern Afghanistan on the night of 1 September. This was followed by severe aftershocks, such as those on the night of 4 to 5 September. The region is located in high mountains and had already been affected by heavy rain and flooding from landslides before the earthquake. The quake has cut off many villages from the outside world, making them accessible only on foot or by air. In Kunar province, some villages have been completely destroyed. Official figures put the death toll at over 2,200, with more than 3,600 injured. 84,000 people have been directly affected by the quakes.
Johanniter in Afghanistan
Johanniter have been represented in Afghanistan for over 20 years with an office in Kabul and 22 international and national staff members. Two projects are currently being carried out in the province of Kabul and the two northern provinces of Faryab and Takhar to improve medical care for the population. Johanniter and their partners also provided emergency relief after the earthquakes in Khost and Herat in recent years.