UNICEF
Humanitarian Relief in the Afghan Region
Number 6
30 November 2001


"With winter arriving in Afghanistan at the same time as a new set of
political circumstances come into view, this is a crucial time.  As we
plan for the reconstruction of this country's education system, health
care network and other basic services for children, we cannot forget the
immediate needs that must be met over the next difficult months."

Ms. Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director


UNICEF Executive Director Ms. Carol Bellamy started a five-day visit to
Afghanistan and Pakistan on 30 November. The purpose of her visit is to
personally look at the difficult conditions facing millions of children in
a region stricken by drought, displacement, disease and conflict. At a
press briefing organised by the UN in Islamabad today, she said that her
trip to the region would emphasise the critical role children will play in
the healthy future development of Afghanistan.

During her stay in the region, Ms. Bellamy will visits the IDP camps in
Quetta and Peshawar and the Afghan capital Kabul. The Executive Director
will meet with UNICEF staff and thank them for their dedication and
commitment in the face of the crisis, especially the devoted Afghan UNICEF
national staff who kept humanitarian relief operations functioning
throughout the difficult weeks since 11 September.

>From Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

- Truck carrying American Red Cross-funded shoes, jackets and caps for IDP
children on Islands between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is expected to
reach its destination over the weekend.

- Education/Protection team has completed an assessment mission to Island
#9 between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, reporting that the tents
distributed recently are being used as schoolrooms. The schooling is based
on an Afghan curriculum. The UNICEF team noted that both boys and girls
are attending these educational classes.

- Almost 40 women attended a meeting at Sufa 1 IDP camp on Island #9, on
the subject of girl's education and health. They expressed an interest to
organise education for the girls in the camp.

- On 29 November a convoy of 3 trucks left Turkmenistan for Andkhoy,
Afghanistan. Relief items include: 4000 blankets, 200 dissemination
materials, 3,000 cooking sets, 5,000 infant hygiene kits and 65 units of
mother and child medical kits and equipment.

- Also on 29 November, another convoy with relief goods left Turkmenabad
for Herat area via Sehretabat/Gushki. Items include 17,000 blankets, 30
basic emergency health kits, 8 supplementary emergency health kits, 40,320
kg HPB and 100 recreation kits.

- UNICEF national staff from the Mazar-e-Sharif Office collected the
educational supplies from Hairaton, on the Afghanistan/ Uzbekistan border,
for distribution in the various provinces in Northern Afghanistan.


>From Iran

- Iranian authorities have continued to move Afghan IDPs from Makaki to
Mile 46 camp, as IDP numbers have far exceded capacity in Makaki.
According to MSF-Holland in Herat, up to 500 new displaced people arrive
every day in camps in and around Herat as a result of conflict and
drought.

- On 20 November, UNICEF provided 20 water bladders (15 with a 10,000
liters capacity and 5 with a 5,000 liters capacity) to the Iranian Red
Crescent Society for use in the Makaki and Mile 46 IDP camps.  UNICEF will
support a health and nutrition survey in these two camps that will be
carried out by the NGO Action Contre la Faim (ACF) starting 8 December.

- An UNICEF 14-trucks relief convoy left Mashad for the Afghan border on
28 November with 10.000 sweaters and 7.000 mattresses. Another convoy for
Herat is planned for 2 December with 40.000 pairs of gloves, 25.500 boots
and one rubb-hall (temporary warehousing unit).

- The preliminary information from the first round of NIDs (10-14
November) in the eastern provinces bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan
(Sistan and Baluchestan, Khorassan, Kerman and Hormozgan)  indicate that
the immunisation teams have not detected any new case of polio in the
covered areas.  In addition to 722,970 Iranian households, all refugee
camps were covered and more than 65,000 non-Iranian children were
immunised in Sistan & Baluchestan, 10,000 in Khorasan and 16,000 in
Kerman, all non-camp populations.


distributed by
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