(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has launched an urgent relief programme to help victims of the snowstorm that hit Afghanistan late in February, burying and destroying many homes in several provinces.
Implemented in cooperation with Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), the programme will help 300 families (2,100 people) in Panjshir Province in the northeast.
This was the worst snowstorm to hit the country in 30 years. Early reports estimate the number of casualties in Panjshir at 196, in addition to more than 200 wounded and 15 missing.
Almost 2,000 homes were damaged by snow slides and the population in the region lost livelihood as they generally work as shepherds.
To avoid duplication with relief efforts of the Afghan government and humanitarian organisations, mostly focused on food and nonfood assistance, QRC Office in Afghanistan chose different areas to intervene - sheltering and economic empowerment.
To identify the most needy, a field assessment was conducted by ARCS staff, committees and the consultative council under certain criteria - victims with no income; families whose breadwinners are women or children; and families with widows, orphans, or persons with disabilities.
QRC's programme involves renovating the snow-stricken homes after investigating broken windows and doors and basic elements, which will be repaired or replaced.
Sheep will be purchased and distributed to poor families that lost their livelihood - two sheep per family - to help them make some money for the time being.
The heavy snowfall over the past couple of weeks caused avalanches, which buried hundreds of homes in four provinces in the north, claiming 316 lives and leaving several hundred wounded, said Mohamed Aslam Syas, Deputy Director, Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.
"The toll is expected to rise further," he added.
Due to blocked roads, emergency teams sent to the Panjshir Valley were unable to reach the snow-swept towns along a narrow valley surrounded by two mountain ranges, with only one access.
Helicopters were used to deliver medicines, blankets and other assistance offered by relief agencies in remote areas.
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