Afghanistan

Real lives

A matter of life or death

© UNICEF Afghanistan/2002/Kent Page

UNICEF’s ultimate concern remains ensuring the survival of the most vulnerable children and women in Afghanistan through life-saving humanitarian assistance. Across Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of families remain in real peril. Twenty years of war and drought have taken an enormous toll.

Since 11 September 2001, some 80 airlifts and 200 convoys have brought UNICEF emergency relief supplies to Afghanistan.

• To help children survive the winter in Afghanistan, UNICEF provided more than 800,000 children with blankets, some 730,000 children with winter clothing and another 500,000 children with socks and boots.
• Following earthquakes in Samangan, Nahrin and Burka provinces, UNICEF delivered relief supplies including food, winter clothing, tents, mattresses, cooking sets, water purification tablets, and baby kits and blankets.
• Obstetric drugs and equipment have been supplied to 8 hospitals and 12 health centres.
• Generators have been provided to 12 hospitals to power facilities for children and women.
• Water purification supplies for 1 million people have been provided to camps for internally displaced people. UNICEF's water and sanitation programme has brought water to 440,000 people in areas affected by drought and displacement.
• 2,300 manual water pumps have been installed by UNICEF, benefiting 1.6 million people.
• 70,000 families have received hygiene kits, which include soaps, cleaning supplies and towels.
• A cholera preparedness campaign was run by the Ministry of Public Health and regional directorates in June 2002. It was supported with Oral Rehydration Salts, antibiotics, chlorine etc.