Thousands of people in Afghanistan are getting vital help from Milton Keynes based international development charity World Vision UK.
The staff on the ground are committed to delivering food and water supplies to desperate families, treating malnourished infants and protecting children from exploitation. None of this would be possible without the generosity of UK donors.
The teams in Afghanistan have said a heartfelt thanks to those who have selflessly donated to World Vision’s Afghanistan Emergency Appeal.
Here staff describe how they are supporting vulnerable communities:
“They need more health services,” says a female doctor
“My daily duties are triage of patients, visiting outpatients, performing child and mother health services and consultation for pregnant women, and if necessary, introducing them to the vaccine and nutrition work. Also giving family planning advice is one of my duties,” she said.
“With the current situation, most of the humanitarian activities have stopped. They (the communities) have no food and malnutrition is increasing among all of them, especially children. End result – they need more health services.
“Many clients expressed their satisfaction with our programme and say that with the beginning of our activities they have been able to experience a better and less dangerous life. Most of these are pregnant women who benefited from the child and mother’s health programme.
“The British people with their material and spiritual support can stand with the suffering people of Afghanistan and help us get through this difficult time. People need humanitarian, health, nutrition and education assistance to survive this tragic situation. I hope that with your support we can make a better life that is the right of every human being.”
“Thank you” – a nutrition assistant bringing food to malnourished children
“I work with nutrition nurses on a daily basis to identify malnourished children to provide them with necessary supplementary food and consult with mothers about the recovery process of their children.
“The conflict and drought mean many families and mothers can’t afford adequate food for their children.
“There is also a need for more health services for children and mothers. World Vision is a very well accepted organisation in the community and management is supporting us with equipment, with the necessary training and coordination support to operate safely in the field.
“We have supported a lot of malnourished children and mothers with our supplementary food, provision and support. But a lot of people are happy and our programmes help them to stay healthy. They say the nutritious food provided to severely malnourished children is effective and saved the lives of many.
“We are thankful for the humanitarian assistance, and I am proud to be a part of the people serving the communities during this crucial time. Our activities impact many lives and provide a healthy life to people and children. Therefore, I ask for more support for child wellbeing in Afghanistan. Thank you.”
“People are starving”
“I am a monitoring and assessment officer. My daily tasks and my job involve travelling mostly to the field, meeting with the beneficiaries and community leaders to ensure that programmes are effectively implemented, and the quality is considered,” says a male World Vision worker. His role involves travelling in Afghanistan, meeting people and observing communities.
“World Vision is one of the top, well-accepted organisations in the community and that acceptance gives us access to the remote areas and allows us to serve the most vulnerable people. The leadership and management of World Vision are really working hard to ensure everyone’s safety – it’s their priority on everyday tasks.”
He shared a story from a remote area of the province where he is based. “There was an 11-month-old girl, and the team saw that her father brought her to the mobile health unit operating in this very mountainous province. The child’s mother passed away a few months ago and the baby lost a lot of weight.
“When she first came to the team, she was only 4.3kg. The nurse started a treatment of supplementary food and started counselling on how to give proper diet and food and how to use safe practices to avoid illness.
"She was screened every week to monitor her progress. After two months of treatment, her weight was increased to 6.4kg. The family was very thankful, and the child was able to smile again.”
He said that the Afghan people were grateful for the support of people in the UK. “Thank you, UK, we are hopeful that you continue giving support to the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan.”
For more information or to donate to World Vision UK’s Afghanistan appeal click here.
