On Sunday, the 15th August, the Taliban have taken over Kabul. Our colleagues and the population are stunned, the fear and insecurity in the city are tangible. Terre des hommes (Tdh) has a long-term experience since 1995 in this context and will give everything to continue supporting and protecting displaced children and their families!
For decades now, Afghanistan has been plagued by civil war, conflict, and disasters such as earthquakes and droughts. In 2020, COVID-19 has placed an additional burden on the population, overwhelming health services. The country is under the control of the Taliban, who had launched a military offensive since the start of the withdrawal of US troops. Since May 2021, more than 250,000 Afghans have fled their homes in search of a safe area to protect their families, 80% of the displaced are children and women. Children represent 32% of all civilian casualties in the first half of 2021. Tdh urges all actors to refrain from violence against children, especially against girls.
Afghanistan’s children deserve a future
The withdrawal of many NGOs further endangers the lives of civilians, reducing access to vital medical assistance and driving them into exile. An emergency team is present in Kabul, to assess, together with other organisations, the most urgent needs of the population and to support the displaced children and their families. Tdh’s other activities in the field are on hold for the moment to account for our staff’s safety until the security situation stabilises. «Having provided care to pregnant women and babies in remote areas, we see how much that help matters,» explains Jezerca Tigani, our operations manager for MENA. What worries Tdh the most is whether the female staff will be able to continue working.
Jezerca Tigani concludes: «Afghanistan is a country with a sad history. I met some wonderful people. Its children deserve a future and we can all play our part in building it.»
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Copyright: ©Tdh/Jezerca Tigani