(Adnkronos) – Children whose parents died in the devastating earthquakes that struck Afghanistan a month ago have been taken in by their relatives, whose survival depends on humanitarian aid and whose needs will increase in the coming months with the arrival of winter, according to Save the Children. The earthquakes, the strongest of which occurred on August 31, caused the death of approximately 2,000 people and destroyed more than 8,000 homes in eastern Afghanistan, forcing children and families to take refuge in tents, refugee camps, or ruined villages.
The earthquakes also decimated livelihoods, as most people in these remote rural villages depend on livestock and agriculture for their income. Nearly 400,000 people, including over 250,000 children, are in need of food and agricultural support, as livestock have died and land has been damaged.
According to Unicef, 271 children have been orphaned. Thousands of others have lost relatives in the earthquake, and Save the Children, through its child care centers, is helping 30 children who lost their primary caregivers due to the magnitude 6.0 earthquake.
Aysha, 56, grandmother of three girls under five, recounted – Save the Children’s statement reports – that she is now their primary caregiver, as the girls’ parents died in the earthquake. The youngest is 15 months old and sleeps in her arms. She had to flee when her house, located on a mountaintop, collapsed due to the earthquake, and now lives in a tent about two and a half hours’ walk away, with the road still blocked. Her tent is almost empty, as she fled with only the clothes she was wearing. Her husband was injured in the disaster and still has his head and arm bandaged as he sits on the ground beside her. The few belongings in a corner of their tent were all provided by humanitarian organizations. “Before this tragic incident (before the earthquake), these three children ate well. They gathered nuts to eat and enjoyed playing together. They had a home to live in and their parents were alive. Now they no longer have a home, their mother and father are gone, and they are very sad,” Aysha said.
The two older girls attend a Save the Children child care center for children who have been forced to abandon their ruined homes. The centers are full and operate in shifts due to the high number of children, providing a safe and age- and gender-appropriate place to play, learn, and access support. Approximately 200 children arrive every day. The child care centers, which are part of the emergency response, provide services including psychosocial support, hygiene promotion, and guidance, for example, on how to avoid separation from caregivers with so many people living in the camps. Children also receive meals in a safe space and are referred to the nutrition and healthcare services of the nearby Save the Children clinic.
“Currently, our lives depend entirely on aid provided by authorities and organizations. No one is working at the moment. My eldest son was injured, the other suffers from low blood pressure, how can they work? Before the earthquake, my sons were laborers. The son who lost his life in the earthquake was the head of the household. He worked as a daily construction worker and was also an architect. I hope to have enough money to raise these children properly,” Aysha said.
Families have lost their main breadwinners in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, the areas most affected by the earthquakes. More than nine out of ten families reported losing their food supplies when their homes collapsed, and over 7,000 livestock died. Save the Children operates in the affected provinces and was among the first international organizations to arrive on site in Kunar, where most of the nearly 2,000 confirmed casualties occurred. The humanitarian and child rights organization provides healthcare, water and sanitation services, household kits, newborn kits, and hygiene kits, cash assistance, and support to children through child care centers in the earthquake-affected areas.
“One month after the earthquakes, the extent of the devastation in eastern Afghanistan is becoming increasingly clear – states Samira Sayed Rahman, Director of Program Development and Advocacy for Save the Children in Afghanistan – Many children have lost a parent, some have been orphaned, and countless families have lost their source of income. For children, the loss is immeasurable, and for many families, it also means the loss of the breadwinner. Our child care centers are providing vital support in this emergency phase, but families need longer-term help. With winter fast approaching, already severe needs can only increase. Donors must urgently mobilize additional resources to help children and their caregivers survive in the coming months and lay the groundwork for recovery.”
Save the Children has been operating in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. The Organization has programs in nine provinces and collaborates with partners in 11 other provinces. It provides services ranging from health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, and livelihoods.
