UNITED NATIONS: The relief agency of the United Nations (UN) on Saturday called for “urgent” aid for Afghan families in Herat, who have lost everything to a series of devastating earthquakes as temperatures dropped into single digits.
With about two-thirds of the quake-hit areas assessed, over 21,500 homes are confirmed destroyed and about 17,000 severely damaged, according to the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office. More than 154,000 people have been impacted. That number includes at least 7,500 pregnant women, many of whom lost family members.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said that the deaths of their loved ones have taken a devastating toll. The agency has deployed psychosocial counselors to assist them in coping with overwhelming loss.
They need someone to listen to them and assist them in coping with their trauma, said counselor Faiza Zarie, adding that the availability of psychosocial support is very important.
Afghan Women’s Other Challenges
Women also face other challenges like heightened risks of preventable maternal death, hunger, and gender-based violence. UNFPA is working to address reproductive health needs. It issued a funding appeal for 11.6 million dollars to continue delivering life-saving sexual and reproductive health supplies and services.
Access to medical care has also been seriously hit, with at least forty facilities reported damaged, in a region that was already largely deprived of necessary health services before the disaster.
Read Also: 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Kathmandu Valley and Adjacent Districts
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that services for at least 580,000 people have been severely disrupted. WHO team leader of emergencies in Afghanistan, Alaa AbouZeid, said that health workers are also affected by the disaster, either from loss of loved ones or from fear of collapsing health facilities, which makes it more difficult for them to provide the health care their communities need.
The UN agency has been one of the first responders on the ground, helping hospitals with medicines and supplies and organizing mobile health and nutrition teams.
Sustaining health services will require extra resources, and WHO and partners have launched an appeal for 7.9 million dollars to provide support for the next six months.
