Jenan Taylor
26 October 2023
The international community is being urged to keep donating to aid for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable earthquake affected populations, including women who have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing natural disasters.
More than 1480 people have been killed, and tens of thousands affected since the first of multiple earthquakes flattened Afghanistan’s northwest region in early October.
Humanitarian organisation CARE Afghanistan told ABC radio it was the country’s worst crisis, and called on international donors to keep helping its 25 million people.
Aid groups including Act for Peace and Caritas Australia said thousands of people lost their homes, and families and individuals were resorting to makeshift shelters.
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They said they feared women and children were acutely affected by the situation, as data from the United Nations Women’s agency revealed that women represented 60 per cent of the injured persons.
Caritas Australia humanitarian emergencies lead Sally Thomas said women and children were always among the most vulnerable, given that they were already experiencing extreme disadvantage, related to a dire humanitarian situation even before the earthquakes.
Ms Thomas said the rural aspect of the earthquakes’ was another reason women were especially affected.
She said they would have been working and looking after families in their homes, while the men were likely to have been outside as they went about their labour, including possibly tending to livestock.
UN Women’s agency surveys of women survivors, found that their most urgent needs included shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, and appropriate clothing.
Act for Peace, Tearfund Australia, Caritas Australia and CARE Australia launched urgent appeals, and anticipated the approaching winter would aggravate the situation for the vulnerable.
The agencies said they focussed on getting blankets and clothing to people, and in some instances were also trying to address urgent repairs to homes.
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Act for Peace fundraising and marketing manager Ruthann Richardson said the delivery of women’s hygiene kits was already a part of the organisation’s response.
Ms Richardson said the organisation was also delivering winterised tents which meant women could cook inside safely and potentially also carry out other traditional female activities more safely.
She said longer term considerations would include building bathing places, communal kitchens and homes.
Ms Thomas said Caritas Australia’s partners were trying to address the needs of families and women by providing emergency shelter, access to clean water, medical supplies, food and other essentials.
Tearfund Australia’s international partnerships manager Hedda Ngan said its partners responses included cash aid for women and children, people with disabilities, the widowed and the aged.
But Act for Peace echoed CARE Afghanistan’s worry that the international community’s attention was elsewhere.
Ms Richardson said she was concerned that with all the turmoil unfolding in other places across the globe, support for Afghanistan’s vulnerable communities would diminish.
To donate to the Act for Peace appeal for Afghanistan, see here.
To donate to Caritas Australia see here.
To support Tearfund Australia’s efforts see here.
To donate to CARE Australia’s appeal, see here.
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