Real lives

19 May, 2005: UNICEF team reports from the refugee camp at Teshik-Tash village, 40 kilometres west of Jalal-Abad town in Kyrgyzstan, and just 500 metres from the border with Uzbekistan. The team was there to assess the situation of children and women – here are some of their diary notes. All names have been changed.

A 4 am, after a walk of almost 12 hours from Andijan in Uzbekistan, Akbar, together with his mother, two sisters and infant sister Gulnor arrived at a refugee camp in Teshik-Tash village, 40 kilometres west of Jalal-Abad town in Kyrgyzstan. Nine-year old Akbar could not get to sleep that day at all. At 12 noonhis mother and Gulnor were taken to a hospital in nearby Suzak village with acute bronchitis. Akbar lay with his eyes open all day long, reflecting on what had happened, what his friends might be doing at that time, whether they went to school, and what would happen to his small dog left alone back in Andijan. Next morning he awoke very early. The overcrowded tent was excruciatingly stuffy, but outside if was cold and rainy.

This was the first day for Akbar and 21 other children in the crowded camp established by the Kyrgyz authorities for 530 people fleeing from the unrest in Uzbekistan.

When we arrived at the camp to assess the situation of children and women, Akbar volunteered to show us around. He took us to the place where they had tried to play football, but we hindered by lack of space. He took us to the bathing place, telling us that he had not wanted to wash himself at the beginning because the water was so cold.

Akbar was talkative until people started describing the events that had made them flee their country. He did not tell us much, but he gave us a drawing he had done to describe what he had seen and felt.  “There was shooting and many dead bodies. We were running away,” he said, and we felt that his heart was full of terrors. “I miss my dog, but I am afraid to go back.”

© UNICEF Kyrgyzstan/UNICEF Bishkek 2005

A nearby canal becomes a bathing place

He felt more at ease  once he was back at his tent, watching men and women crowding around a small canal full of dirty water – some did laundry, some washed themselves and some drank from it. Though it was boring, of course, for a child. Adults were busy discussing politics and talking to journalists, and there was nobody there to keep an eye on the children. The refugees included a paediatrician and a teacher but, like the other adults, they had no training in how to care for children in such circumstances. So the children were left to fend for themselves.

Most of the children had evident signs of chronic and acute malnutrition. But for some reason, the women were reluctant to make immediate use of the humanitarian aid provided by UNICEF and other organisations. Supplies of soup, toys, hygiene supplies and diapers were neatly stacked behind the tents.

There was no clean water and we had to bring 300 litres with us for the women and children. By the end of the second day of our stay there, together with UNHCR, we managed to arrange a regular supply of water by local authorities. We talks to women about the importance of using clean water for their children, explained the principles of breastfeeding to mothers with infants and discussed with the teacher possible ways of organising some kind of schooling for the children.

There are still many questions to be answered about what really happened in Andijan, the main subject of discussion in all the tents other than the subject of what would happen to the camp and its inhabitants. But it was a sign of hop that things would improve when a weary smile awoke on Akbar’s lips when he could finally take a sip of clean water. And his smile turned to real happiness when we finally persuaded the women to open their stocks of supplies and give the toys and clothes to their children.

Based on the assessment, and under the overall lead of UNHCR, UNICEF is focusing on four main areas: water and sanitation; health; child nutrition; psychological counselling for women and children. Until Akbar and other children are home in Andijan or have asylum, UNICEF will continue to work with other UN agencies and central and local Government to respond to the immediate needs of people in the camp, making children’s needs a priority.