Orphans and widows in Afghanistan fight for survival as brutal winter sweeps in after earthquakes – Tearfund

Orphans and widows in Afghanistan’s remote mountain communities – whose homes were destroyed in the recent series of earthquakes – fear they cannot survive the oncoming winter without urgent support.

Tearfund’s partners in Afghanistan are racing against time to deliver winter survival kits to some of the most vulnerable and isolated communities, who have only thin tents and summer clothing to protect them against heavy snows and temperatures as low as -6° Celsius in January.

People like Sabih*, who’s just 17 and caring for his siblings after the earthquake killed more than half his family.

‘When I returned home, I found that my mother, my father, one sister, and one brother had died. My little brother survived but his leg was amputated as a result of the earthquake. He, my other brother and my youngest sister are now left with me.’

Heavy snows quickly block roads already badly damaged by rockfall. Tearfund’s partners are working tirelessly to access these areas – using whatever methods they can – knowing the equipment they bring is essential for survival.

‘Without these winter survival kits, the future looks desperate for these families’, says Solomon Cornelius, Tearfund’s Country Director for Afghanistan. ‘Orphans and widows in the most remote mountain regions stand very little chance of accessing even the most basic supplies for surviving the harsh winters, so these kits are literally the difference between life and death. Our partner has been using all means possible – off-road vehicles, donkeys, even six-hour journeys on foot – to try to help them survive. ‘I have young children, and my heart breaks to think of them trying to survive freezing temperatures alone, with so little to protect them.’

Isa* is 14 years old and points out the graves of his brother, sister, grandmother, uncle and cousins. ‘We urgently need mattresses, warm clothing, and shelter, as we have lost everything,’ he explains, tugging at his flimsy shirt.

Sharjeela* lost several family members and her home. With her two-year-old daughter Sabira* on her lap, she says there’s no way they could survive the harsh winter in the thin makeshift tents they set up after the earthquake.

Thousands of lives, families, and homes were torn apart by three powerful earthquakes in Eastern Afghanistan between 31 August and 4 September. Almost two thousand people were killed. Aerial images** of the remote mountain villages show how entire neighbourhoods were flattened and roads made impassable.

Tearfund’s partners have also provided cash grants to some of the most vulnerable – including more than a hundred female-headed households, orphans, and people living with disability. They’ve been able to meet the most urgent needs of more than 6,000 people in the Kunar and Nangarhar provinces with clothing, medical treatment, food, and house repairs.

With your help, they hope to help hundreds more households survive the harsh winter.

To support this work, please donate to Tearfund’s appeal at www.tearfund.org/afghanistan

* Names have been changed

ENDS

Notes to editors

For high quality photographs of the interviewees or to arrange an interview with Tearfund’s country director for Afghanistan, please contact Esther Trewinnard on 07783 409045 or email [email protected]. For out of hours inquiries call 07929 335 606 or [email protected].

To support Tearfund’s appeal please visit tearfund.org/afghanistan.

• £18 could provide three families with clean water and sanitation for a month
• £49 could provide a family with emergency shelter for a month
• £120 could provide two families with food for a month