On 25 July 2006, the Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations launched the Afghanistan Drought Joint Appeal. Aiming at provision of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in mostly rain-fed agro-ecological zones affected by drought, the appeal covers activities such as the distribution of food, emergency employment, water provision, communicable disease control and nutritional interventions.
Recent observations of the Famine Early Warning System Network has confirmed the predicted continued drought-related food and water insecurity in many parts of the country. An extension of the appeal, launched in October, is currently funded at 33.7% of the requested US$ 119 million, which will impact on the ability to pre-position food and non-food items before the onset of winter. There are grave concerns for the 1.9 million Afghans who will need food assistance, 200,000 more than when the first Joint Drought Appeal was launched in July 2006.
On 5 December 2006, CERF provided an additional US$ 19.5 million to complement the US$ 12.7 million allocated in August in order to ensure the continuation of the emergency response to the drought in Afghanistan, in particular to ensure quality health services in the security compromised areas of Afghanistan and to feed 1.9 million drought-affected people spread over 22 provinces in the west, south and northen provinces. The CERF funds, allowing agencies to begin immediate time-critical life-saving activities, have been committed to UNICEF, WHO, FAO and WFP, which will work with implementing partners.
WFP will use CERF funds to cover the food needs of 1.9 million drought-affected people spread over 22 provinces, targeting particularly vulnerable populations such as female-headed households, children and the elderly. This live-saving intervention will further seek to avoid further displacement and deterioration of the nutritional situation, including by ensuring seed availability.
WHO will seek to ensure the quality of health services in the security compromised areas of Afghanistan, including an estimated 120,000 displaced people prone to contracting communicable diseases and an estimated 97,000 children for whom supplemementary feeding is required to reduce the currently alarmingly levels of malnutrition.
UNICEF will provide humanitarian assistance to drought and conflict-affected families in the west and south of Afghanistan, an area that has been experiencing intensive fighting over the past two years. UNICEF will provide life-saving medical supplies, equipment and drugs in order to respond to an estimated population of 140,000 people.
![Food processing industry provides jobs in south [Photo: IRIN]](/Portals/11/Images_country/AFG_IRIN_FoodProcessing.jpg) |
| Food processing industry provides jobs in south [Photo: IRIN] |
The first CERF grant of US$ 12.7 million, disbursed in August, came as an essential component of the response to the drought in Afghanistan. There is a real possibility that households will sell their assets and consume their stock seed to cope with the drought. Thus, malnutrition could rise as well as the susceptibility to diseases, particularly among children.
UNICEF received US$ 700,000 to provide water to 30,000 families in the provinces of Samangan and Saripul by drilling 3 strategic bore wells, and therapeutic feeding to 2,000 severely malnourished children in the provinces of Samangan, Saripul and Ghor.
Through the joint appeal in August, WFP requested 81,500 MT of mixed food commodities valued at US$ 49.9 million. To date, WFP has received donations of US$ 31.6 million – equivalent to 53,000 MT of food from several donors. In August, WFP assisted 14,800 drought-affected people in the Northern provinces with 256 MT of mixed food.
FAO has already, with CERF funds, supported the vulnerable population in drought-affected areas with quality wheat seed and fertilizer in order to improve the food security situation of 20,000 vulnerable households.
[Last Update: 20 December 2006]
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