緊急支援：アフガニスタンの生活困窮者が生き抜くために命を守っていく

Emergency Assistance: Protecting Lives amidst Afghanistan's Crisis

 

Project brief

Due to the political upheaval in Afghanistan that occurred in August 2021, many people are still in a state of destitution.  In addition to the impact from the political unrest, the impact of various disasters such as drought and COVID-19 had put many people's lives at risk even before this crisis.

 

Now, about half of the population, 18 million people or more, are in dire need of humanitarian assistance to survive.  Displaced people and poor households have insufficient cash and food reserves, and starvation and human trafficking are being reported daily.  Afghanistan is starting its extremely cold winter, with temperatures dropping to minus 10~20 degrees Celsius. This winter is going to be the worst humanitarian crisis the country has ever faced, and it is expected that many could die of starvation and/or freezing temperature.  We really need your support in order to provide immediate assistance to those families at risk, so that they can survive through the severe winter. 

 

For their survival, we plan to distribute immediate cash assistance to displaced people and families at risk. We would sincerely appreciate your support.

 

 

About CWS Japan

 

Thank you for visiting our page. We are CWS Japan, a non-profit organization.  The history of the CWS, headquartered in the U.S., began with the relief activities given to Japan immediately after the World War II; the CWS Japan Committee opened an office in Tokyo in 1946 and carried out distribution of food, clothing, medicine, daily necessities, and school supplies until 1952.

 

Then, for emergency response for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, CWS re-opened an office in Tokyo in 2011, and the current CWS Japan was established. Since then, CWS Japan has been providing not only disaster relief in Japan, but also disaster relief and disaster risk reduction assistance in Afghanistan and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Current situation in Afghanistan

40 years of war, political instability, repeated droughts and other natural disasters, as well as COVID-19 had put many people's lives at risk even before the current crisis, and the recent political upheaval in August 2021 had a devastating impact on the lives of many people. The international community imposed sanctions and restricted the transfer of funds, causing economic chaos and impoverishing the lives of many already at risk of survival.

 

According to the recent UN assessment, 18~23 million people, more than half of the population, are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. One in three Afghans faces a serious food crisis, and more than half of children under the age of five are said to be undernourished, which is worsening day by day. In 2021 alone, more than 600,000 people were displaced and fled to other parts of the country or abroad as refugees and displaced persons, without savings, food or other resources, and with no social security and legal protection. 

 

The restrictions on foreign currency inflows have caused serious disruptions in economic activities and dramatically increased the vulnerability of people's lives. Our colleagues on the ground are witnessing people dying of starvation, children being sold, and other tragic incidents which is truly unbearable to imagine. It is clear that many people will starve and freeze if they face this winter without any assistance.

 

Voices of the People of Afghanistan

 

 

Evacuated families with only blankets at hand
The family in the photo fled for their lives from eastern Afghanistan, where the conflict was raging, but they were unable to return because they had no cash on hand, and the little shown in the photo is all they have.

 

During the day, they look around to find things to sell and find people who will buy them. They only receive a small amount of money, and they eat what they can get the cheapest that day. For example, vegetables that are about to spoil are cheaper, and on the day of the photo taken, they bought tomatoes, and that's all they ate. Of course, this doesn't make them full, and all of them, including children, spend their days and nights hungry.

 

Giving up a child to save a life
In another place, a mother visited a mosque and begged people to take her child in. She said that she could no longer raise her child by herself and wanted someone to take her in who would give the child something to eat. Elsewhere, a displaced mother testified that she had sold her one and a half year old child for 30,000 Afghani (less than USD 400). She said that it was a desperate measure to save her family, including her other children.

 

Teachers and police officers are on the streets, and some even commit suicide
According to our colleagues, people who used to have decent professions such as teachers and police officers are now seen begging on the street. In addition, some people who are unable to feed their families are committing suicide as they cannot bear seeing their families starve to death.

 

Our colleague told us that he only took the money he needed to get home from the field from his wallet and left all the rest with these people; out of humanitarian spirit, even in midst of his own hardship. We could see the tears in his eyes when he shared his experience, and even for experienced humanitarian workers, the current situation is incredibly difficult.

 

This project

CWS has been engaged in humanitarian assistance and disaster management in Afghanistan since the 1970s. Using such experiences and networks in the field, we have launched a crowdfunding program to provide support to save the lives of those facing serious crisis.

 

Due to the economic turmoil, local banks have put limitations of withdrawal, making it difficult for people to withdraw cash from banks. On the other hand, small remittances can be cashed in through the cell phone network, which is still functioning. We will distribute the minimum amount of cash needed for one household to survive three months of severe winter weather.

 

If the crowdfunding goal of 3 million yen (approx.. 27,000 USD) is reached, we will be able to support the lives of at least 60 families. Food, fuel, clothing, medicine, and other necessities are prioritized depending on the urgent circumstances of each household. The cash transfers are flexible enough to meet the urgent and diverse needs of the families at risk.

 

The assistance will be delivered through our the partner organization, and be distributed to the families at risk by using the mobile money transfer service called MoMo provided by MTN, an Afghan telecommunications company, or equivalent service. Because communication companies such as MTN agents handle petty cash, they are not significantly affected by the recent restrictions on withdrawals by Afghan banks, and are able to deliver aid to the people in Afghanistan through their system of mobile cash transfer. Vulnerable families including those who are displaced without a shelter and at risk families with elderly, women, children will be prioritized. The actual number of families to be assisted will be determined based on the amount of funds being raised.  

 

We need your support for the winter!

 

 

The average temperature in Bamyan in the central highlands drops to -10.2 degrees Celsius in January, and even in Kabul, the capital, the average temperature drops to -2.9 degrees Celsius in January (https://en.climate-data.org). Lack of food and fuel will directly lead to starvation and freezing to death. In the past, many lives have been lost due to large cold waves. The funds raised through crowdfunding will be used to quickly deliver aid to these people who are in urgent need of assistance. 

Message from a representative 

 

Takeshi Komino: Country Representative, CWS Japan / Co-Chair, Japan Platform

 

Now that winter has arrived, the swift winterization support determines life or death for many families in Afghanistan. Although the crisis in Afghanistan cannot be solved by humanitarian aid alone (intervention on the political and economic fronts are necessary), we can save those from starvation and freezing. To do so, however, we need adequate funds to help, and I sincerely hope for your kind assistance.

 

Remarks on crowdfunding

• Please note that no refunds or cancellations will be made once your donation is made.
• The messages received as "support comments" upon completion of donation may be used for PR purposes for this project.
• The name and address of the receipt will be the name and address of the delivery address entered at the time of donation, in principle.