UNICEF
Humanitarian Relief in the Afghan Region
Number 7
5 December 2001



UNICEF Executive Director, Ms. Carol Bellamy, concluded a five-day visit
to Afghanistan (Kabul) and Pakistan (Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad).

- In Islamabad, Ms. Bellamy met with UNICEF staff and participated at UN
media briefing/interviews.  She also met with senior Pakistani officials,
UN Heads of Agencies and attended a reception for key government NGO/donor
and UN counterparts.

- The Kabul visit included UNICEF staff meeting, visit to home-based
school, visit to non-formal education classes for women, visit to Malalai
maternity hospital, talks with female social mobilisers, meeting with UN
heads of offices, briefing by the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan,
visit to landmine awareness clinic for IDP children, and UN media
briefing/interviews.

- During the Peshawar visit she met UNICEF staff, visited Kotkai refugee
camp and the education initiatives for Afghan community members and
attended talks with senior representatives of the Government of Pakistan.

- In Quetta she also met UNICEF staff and visited the UNICEF office
(damaged by rioters in October)  and had talks with senior Pakistani
officials.


>From Afghanistan

- The Resident Programme Officer in Herat reports that the security
condition in and around Herat remains relatively stable.  A UN security
assessment of districts of Herat and parts of neighbouring provinces is
ongoing and a joint UN-NGO team is assessing the situation at the Maslakh
IDP camp.

- Following earlier media reports about child deaths in the region, the
UNICEF-Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) Representative will visit Herat on
5-6 December to assess the conditions facing children.

- The Resident Programme Officer for North and North-eastern Afghanistan
reports from Termez that the security situation in Mazar-e-Sharif is still
very fluid and tense, raising doubts about the scheduled return of
international staff into the area.  The first snow has fallen on Mazar and
Termez.


Humanitarian assistance

- On 3 December, the Resident Programme Officer for Kandahar, on mission
in Quetta, arranged a delivery of emergency supplies to ISRA (Islamic
Relief Agency), working in IDP camps in Spin Boldak. The delivery includes
10 Basic Kits, 1 Supplementary Drug Kit, 1 Basic EMOC Kit, 172 Safe
Delivery Kits, 15,000 Ferr-folic acid tablets, 1,000/ 500 mg Mebandazul
tablets and 5,000 10 liters capacity jerry cans.

- UNICEF-Herat reported on 3 December that it had received 6,800
mattresses and 10,000 children's sweaters from Mashad, with more expected
to arrive this week.

- 17,000 blankets; 30 Emergency Health Kits (EHK); five EHK-Supplementary
1 and three Supplementary 2; 40 high-protein biscuits (320kgs) and 100
Recreation Kits arrived at the Torgundi border crossing point on 3
December from Ashgabat.


- The Resident Programme Officer for North and North Eastern Afghanistan
reports from Termez that UNICEF Mazar started the distribution of non food
items for 7000 IDP families in the Baghlan province. UNICEF office in
Mazar has also released drugs to IAM (International Assistance Mission)
for distribution to clinics in the Sholgora district.

- UNICEF-Mazar reports that the latest round of non-food item distribution
is complete.  4,000 blankets, en route from Turkmenabad, will be released
immediately to the NGO GOAL for the Samangan Province.  UNICEF-Ashgabad
has been requested to dispatch 1,000 rolls of US-donated tarpaulin
directly to Mazar.

- On 3 December, 151 Basic Emergency Health Kits, 25 Suppl. Emergency
Health Kits, 100 MCH equipment A and 40 MCH equipment B, 100 TBA Kits, 8
Aux. Midwifery Kits, 2,000 bottles of Benzyl Benzoate, 5,000 packs of
water purification tablets and 25 boxes of syringes were scheduled to be
dispatched from Termez to Hairatan.

- In Termez, 1,000 winter shoes, 40 bags of powder soap, 13 20-liter
plastic containers, 5,200 soap bars, 32,000 ctn. of F100 Therapeutic Milk,
120 ctn. of F75 Therapeutic Milk and 5,000 ctn. of high- energy biscuits
were pre-positioned for delivery in Afghanistan.

- UNICEF-Faizabad reports that discussions have taken place with ARCS
(Afghan Red Crescent Society) regarding the distribution of non-food items
for 450 IDPs living with host families in the Argo District.  Each family
will receive two blankets, two sweaters and two pairs of shoes.


Programme delivery

- UNICEF-Herat:

1. A refresher-training course on Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is
being planned for 8-13 Dec, to target 40 health workers of numerous NGOs
that are active in local IDP camps.

2. The micro-plan for the second phase of Emergency Measles Vaccination
has been prepared, to cover 384,000 children (under age 12) in 22
districts.  Implementation is for one month starting on 20 December.

3. 327 water points are functioning in six Herat IDP camps, with
maintenance by RRD (Rural Rehabilitation Department) with UNICEF support.

4. IOM, with UNICEF support, is conducting the rehabilitation of latrines
in the Maslakh and Shaidayee camps.  WHO is constructing 200 new latrines,
with UNICEF support.

5. UNICEF will construct additional WES facilities in the area where IOM
is planning to construct 1,000 shelters in Maslakh.

6. As part of the sanitation campaign in Maslakh, which began last week
and aims at covering 18 clusters in five blocks, UNICEF provided rubber
boots, work gloves, masks, wheel barrows, shovels and other items.

7. UNICEF is assessing the physical structures of girls' schools in Heart
area for urgent rehabilitation for winter protection, with hopes to reopen
at least one school before the end of this week.  A newly established
committee of local authorities and female teachers, is meeting twice a
week to work on the reopening of girls schools.

8. CRC training for 20 male and 20 female participants has begun in Herat.

- UNICEF-Mazar:

1. An EPI manager and new health directors have been appointed in all
provinces.

2. MoPH (Ministry of Public Health) has established a nutrition feeding
centre in Mazar Hospital, with items previously obtained from various UN
agencies and NGOs (milk, BP5, etc.).  Training of MoPH staff on the
management of the centre is a priority.

3. MSF has started a measles immunisation campaign in all the IDP camps in
Saripul, to target 38,600 children (age 6 months-15 years).  Vitamin A
will be provided to children aged 5-15 years, as those below the age group
already received Vitamin A doses during the 6-8 Nov NIDs.  UNICEF is
supporting the campaign with vaccines, Vitamin A capsules and syringes.

4. UNICEF continues to negotiate with education authorities in Hairatan to
open girls' schools there and to invite female teachers to return to
school.  On 1 December, 550 girl students and 42 female teachers joined
620 boy students and 20 male teachers in a local school.  UNICEF arranged
the distribution of school supplies and textbooks.

5. UNICEF has established 50 classes in the Sakhi IDP camp to benefit
around 5,000 children.  The programme will be implemented by the national
NGO ECRO, which has already received UNICEF school supplies, textbooks and
Recreation Kits.  43 teachers (male and female) and four supervisors (male
and female) have been hired for the programme.

- UNICEF-Faizabad:

1. The second training session for health educators in Faizabad ended on 3
December. Over a five- month period, 15 teams of educators received
refresher training and will provide health education in homes and mosques.

2. The non-formal education and recreation project for 132 children in the
Fatematul Zahra orphanage was inaugurated on 2 December.  The project will
continue for four months.  Five female teachers, recruited from the area's
schools, are facilitating the project.  UNICEF and MoPH-Faizabad will
monitor the project.  UNICEF is providing medicines to the orphanage's
health centre.



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