Bold colored flowers on a brilliant blue background, deep pinks and purples, a splash of orange, a fiery red scarf-- the clothes of Afghan children provide the only color in the barren, gray, drought stricken landscape of Northeastern Afghanistan. But now there is another source of color-- new mattresses covered with vividly striped and solid-colored fabric! The mattresses are part of the shelter kits delivered to people in the Hazar Bogh region of northern Afghanistan suffering from a four-year drought. Their suffering has been compounded by the war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. But the Taliban is gone now, much to their relief. Their hope is that when the rains return so will their former way of life, and they will once again be able to grow food and tend livestock. In spite of the drought, a small river runs through the village of Qanchoga in Hazar Bogh, and there is a swatch of green grass on either side. But if you look away from the river in any direction the land is barren and gray, and the parched ground is lined with cracks.
Hazar Bogh was used as a front line between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. Both sides contributed to the destruction. Peoples homes have been all but destroyed. Many of the walls still stand, but they are mere shells. The roofs and supports are gone, the wooden frames for the doors and windows have been torn out, and all their belongings looted.
UMCOR and Mercy Corps have teamed together to provide the people of Hazar Bogh with shelter kits, fuel for the winter, and household and kitchen items. Getting these much needed supplies to this region of northern Afghanistan was a complicated, circuitous process . The supplies were ordered from Pakistan, and because of the war had to be trucked from Pakistan through Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and finally across the Pyanj river into Afghanistan. Getting goods and people into and out of Tajikistan took weeks of negotiation. When the supplies and relief workers finally arrived in Taloqan, Afghanistan, they still had a 40 kilometer drive ahead of them, over a dirt road full of deep holes. It took hours to negotiate those 40 kilometers.
The people of Qanchoga were expecting the arrival of their shelter kits and were waiting with their coupons in hand. When they did their assessment a few weeks ago, Mercy Corps staff had given each family a coupon that listed the family's name and the items they would receive. A typical shelter kit is designed for a family of six or seven and contains a winter tent, six blankets, three sleeping pads, three mattresses, three pillows, and a stove. Kitchen and household items arrived and were distributed a few weeks later. The UMCOR/Mercy Corps crew worked with men of the village to unload the supplies, then demonstrated how to set up the tents and stoves. Afterwards, the village elders hosted them to a dinner of rice with lamb.
The children of Hazer Bogh greeted these strangers with curious smiles and laughter. Young girls carried their little brothers and sisters, and boys and girls alike ran, played, and laughed continuously in the midst of hardship. The people of this region are ethnic Uzbeks, proud, yet appreciative of the assistance they are receiving. Gifts to the Love in the Midst of Tragedy, Advance #901125-3, make it possible for UMCOR to provide people in Afghanistan with the supplies they need to rebuild their lives and households. This immediate relief will help them survive the winter. Ongoing assistance will help them begin again after years of drought and war.
UMCOR is committed to working with the people of Afghanistan both in immediate relief efforts and in long-term recovery. In addition to the shelter project in Northern Afghanistan, UMCOR has supported the work of Church World Service with Afghan refugees in Pakistan. One of the projects has been a quilt making venture for refugee women. Women receive the materials to produce a quilt a day. This enables them to earn some income, produces quilts that are given to refugees, and provides the women with a place to gather and a chance for fellowship. CWS is now replicating this project in Kabul, which is also known as the "widow capital." There are 30,000 widows in Kabul, 700,000 in all of Afghanistan. 1400 women will be involved in the quilt project in Kabul.
UMCOR staff are in Kabul establishing an office from which to coordinate long-term recovery and development assistance. UMCOR will assist a specific community outside of Kabul, working with refugees who have returned home and must rebuild their lives. This work includes rebuilding homes and infrastructure, reestablishing agriculture, educating and training young people and women, working for reconciliation and peacebuilding, and helping people recover psychologically from years of hardship, oppression, and war. You may join in these ministries by giving to Love in the Midst of Tragedy, Advance #901125-3 and designating "Afghanistan."
Photos: 1. The children of Hazar Bogh greeted these strangers with curious smiles and laughter. Young girls carried their little brothers and sisters, and boys and girls alike ran, played, and laughed continuously in the midst of hardship. The people of this region are ethnic Uzbeks, proud, yet appreciative of the assistance they are receiving. Credit: David Sadoo/UMCOR, 2/2002. 2. A typical shelter kit is designed for a family of six or seven and contains a winter tent, six blankets, three sleeping pads, three mattresses, three pillows, and a stove. Credit: David Sadoo/UMCOR, 2/2002. 3. United Methodist Bishop Beverly Shamana (left) assists a refugee at a distribution center for quilts hand-sewn by Afghan refugee women in Quetta, Pakistan. The quilting is an income-generating project carried out by Church World Service. Shamana's head is covered out of respect for the Muslim faith of some of the aid participants. Credit: Larry Hollon/UMNS, 2/22/02. 4. A Kitchen and Household Kit includes: Plates, a tea kettle, cups, spoons, a ladle a cooking knife, a pressure cooker, a cooking pot, a plastic tray. a plastic food mat, a wood stove, a plastic wash basin, a kerosene lamp, an axe, a metal bucket, jerry cans, boxes of matches, dry wood, coal, and diesel fuel. Credit: UMCOR/Tajikistan 2002. Click on any photo except the kitchen kit to see a larger version.
