UNICEF
Humanitarian Relief in the Afghan Region
Number 10
12 December 2001


>From Afghanistan

- Taloqan, Northeastern Region has been cleared for UN staff to enter.  A
UN coordination meeting is scheduled in Taloqan on 12 December.

- The situation in Kandahar, Southern Region is calm, but tensions
reportedly persist due to an impasse between rival anti -Taliban
commanders. The security situation in Spin Boldak reportedly remains
unstable.

- Security in Kabul, Central Region is stable.  The roads between Kabul
and Bamiyan are cleared, and the first UN team is currently on mission in
Bamiyan, Yakawlang and Panjao to assess humanitarian and development
needs.  Preliminary reports from UNICEF indicate that there is a severe
lack of medicines and medical equipment in the health facilities in these
areas.


Ongoing Emergency Relief

Kabul

- UNICEF and OXFAM are jointly distributing winter clothes, shoes and
blankets for 3,000 Hazara children, mainly in Bamiyan, Yakawlang and
Panjao. The relief items had been delivered earlier to the OXFAM office in
Panjao.

Herat

- UNICEF office received 300 mattresses, 5,000 children's sweaters and
4,000 heating stoves from Mashad, Iran.  More winter emergency relief
items are expected to arrive this week from Mashad.

- Two UNICEF-supported health clinics in the Maslakh IDP camps have been
provided with 14 heating stoves and fuel.  More than 20,000 women and
children are expected to utilise the clinics this winter.

- As part of its emergency nutrition intervention in the Western Region,
UNICEF has provided 1,400kgs of UNIMIX to the NGO MDM for the
supplementary feeding program in the Gazerga and Minarets IDP camps, and
in the IDP settlement area of Babe-Barq.  UNICEF also provided technical
advice.

- UNICEF and partner NGO CHA have made preparations for nutrition
intervention in the most vulnerable and soon-to-be-inaccessible district
of Chakcharan of Ghor Province.  This week, UNICEF plans to dispatch 51
metric tons of UNIMIX and 9.5 metric tons of vegetable oil to ensure
supplementary feeding for 1,400 children under age-five, and 2,900
pregnant and lactating women.


Jalalabad

- A consignment of 1,000 sets of child and infant clothing and 200
blankets were transported to Jalalabad in two convoys from Peshawar on 3
and 8 December.  The supplies were part of German NGO donation, with
UNICEF facilitating the distribution.  The items were sent directly to the
NGOs ARC and RSSA for distribution in the Noorgal, Behsud and Sarkhano
Districts.



Other Core Activities

Kabul

1. The National Immunisation Days for polio implemented 24 -26 November in
the Panjshir Valley reportedly went well.  A UNICEF health team is on
mission to Panjshir monitoring the implementation of the 6-12 December
measles campaign. Results of both campaigns are expected soon.

2. Between 6-8 December, UNICEF-Kabul conducted a survey of home-based
schools in the Kabul area.  The updated data (total numbers of boys,
girls, teachers and classrooms) will be used to identify supply
requirements for the continuation of home-based education during the
winter.

3. The Ministry of Education is preparing a proposal for rehabilitation of
six primary schools in the Afghan capital, based on the assessment
conducted jointly by UNICEF and Department of Education in Kabul.

4. NGO Ertebat will deliver and distribute school supplies to 10,000
children in Lal wa Sarjangal in Hazarajat this week. NGO IAM will
supervise the distribution and monitor the schooling.

5. Demobilisation of child soldiers, landmine awareness, child labour and
future interventions in the area of juvenile justice were topics of
discussions with partners during the recent visit of the UNICEF child
protection officer. Plans are underway to address these issues more
broadly.


Herat

1. An Acute Respiratory Infection case management workshop was held during
the period of 8-10 December at MoPH-Herat, benefiting 15 female health
workers of NGOs that are active in all IDP camps in and around Herat City.

2. UNICEF and partners organised a planning exercise on the second phase
of measles immunisation in 22 districts of the Western Region.  Building
on the lessons learned from the first phase (September), the
implementation strategy was adjusted and follow-up session was scheduled
for 10 December to finalise the plan.


Faizabad

At a health coordination meeting on 9 December, it was decided that UNICEF
will play a leading role in nutrition and that the joint training of staff
by UNICEF and WHO will start on 29 December. WHO will be responsible for
SMI in eight districts of Badakhshan and UNICEF will be responsible for
micronutrient supplementation for the region. Acute Respiratory Infections
drugs will be provided to health centres, and close supervision will be
required to ensure that service providers are applying standard guidelines
in ARI treatment. In collaboration with NGOs and EPI supervisors, MoPH and
WHO will develop a specific plan of HIS data collection from the district
level.


>From Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

Tajikistan

- The first of two shipments of American Red Cross (ARC)-funded 8,000
pairs of winter boots and 8,000 children's caps arrived in Tajikistan over
the weekend. These relief items will be delivered to the children living
on the Islands between Tajikistan and Afghanistan and the settlements in
northern Afghanistan.

- On 11 December, an inter-agency group (UNHC, OCHA, WFP, UNHCR and
UNICEF) and representatives of the Government concluded a joint assessment
to Nizhnij Pyandj border crossing between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The
participating officials discussed actions required to enable the opening
of this border point, which is crucial for increased and secure delivery
of humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people.

- Around 1,500 winter boots will be distributed to children on Island #9
(Karavul) on December 12.


Uzbekistan

- 54,000 OFDA-donated blankets arrived in Termez on 8 and 11 December and
have been pre- positioned for delivery in Afghanistan.

- A barge carrying 24,000 blankets, 1600 cartons of F-100 therapeutic
milk, 60 cartons of F-75 therapeutic milk and 2,500 cartons of high-energy
protein biscuits left Termez on 11 December for Hairaton.


Turkmenistan

- Shipment of 22 tonnes of high-protein biscuits, 6,000 baby blankets, 18
hospital kits, 36 basic health kits, Vitamin A and Folic Acid tablets,
1,500 vials of tetanus toxial, 50 birth kits, 8 Oxfam supplementary
feeding kits, 50 Oxfam therapeutic feeding kits and UNICEF emergency
health kits were pre-positioned in Turkmenabad on 8 December in
Turkmenabad.

- Four-truck convoy containing 1,000 rolls of plastic sheeting donated by
USAID left Ashgabat on 8 November for Mazar-I-Sharif.

- At a health co-ordination meeting attended by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID
and Counterpart Consortium on 11 December, UNICEF and partners pledged
their support to the implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood
Illness (IMCI) and Promoting Effective Perinatal Care (PEPC)  to the
bordering districts with Afghanistan, within the framework of the regular
programme.



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