ICRC News 33 / 31-Aug-00

** SHORT MENU....

Afghanistan: Boosting agricultural production
Most of western Afghanistan is being hit by a severe drought. Since the
beginning of the year the ICRC sub-delegation in Herat, in the north-west
of the country, has been helping over 10,000 farmers directly through
food-for-work schemes.

Armenia: Agreement signed for TB-control programme in prisons
An agreement was signed last week between the Armenian government and the
ICRC to launch a tuberculosis-control programme within the country's
penitentiary system.


** STORIES IN FULL...

Afghanistan
Boosting agricultural production

Most of western Afghanistan is being hit by a severe drought. Since the
beginning of the year the ICRC sub-delegation in Herat, in the north-west
of the country, has been helping over 10,000 farmers directly through
food-for-work schemes.

Irrigation systems have been neglected or destroyed during the various
conflicts that have ravaged the country. The ICRC is running a programme in
the drought-stricken area to clear them and thus enable 7,000 families to
cultivate an additional 1,500 hectares with the help of vegetables seeds,
seedlings, agricultural tools, saplings and fertilizers distributed by the
organization. Training has been offered in two districts of Herat province.

Over 67,000 kg of wheat have been distributed to those working on the
schemes to rehabilitate crucial irrigation systems such as conventional
canals and karezes (Afghanistan's extensive traditional network of
underground channels). This and the seed distribution are part of a
programme that targets areas where needy farmers are living and to which
internally displaced people have returned or are expected to return.
Similar projects have also been carried out this year in other parts of the
country such as Parwan, Badaghan and Tahar provinces.

Further information: Hilaman Mohamad Qasem, ICRC Kabul, tel. ++ 873 682 280
131


Armenia
Agreement signed for TB-control programme in prisons

An agreement was signed last week between the Armenian government and the
ICRC to launch a tuberculosis-control programme within the country's
penitentiary system. The first phase will see the rebuilding of the prison
system's central tuberculosis hospital and upgrading of the national
reference laboratory in Abovian in order to help the authorities improve
diagnosis and treatment of infected prisoners.

The project will then focus on enhancing the ability of local professionals
to ensure early detection and prompt treatment of the disease in accordance
with the World Health Organization's DOTS strategy ("Directly Observed
Treatment, Short course"), which requires medical staff to supervise the
daily intake of medicines by each patient over the full course of
treatment.

Nearly two years ago, the ICRC conducted a TB-incidence study inside the
Armenian prison system. About 4% of the inmates tested positive.

Containing TB in prisons has been an important aspect of the ICRC's work in
the southern Caucasus. As elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Independent
States, this very serious disease has been taking a heavy toll among the
prison population, where its incidence is about 100 times higher than the
average for the region.

In Azerbaijan, more than 2,000 inmates have received treatment with ICRC
support since the launch in 1995 of a TB-control programme in prisons
there. In Georgia, full support from the authorities has ensured good
performance from an ICRC programme which has benefited more than 600
prisoners since 1998.

Further information: Ann Aerts, ICRC Geneva, tel. ++ 41 22 730 27 25


During the weekend of 2 - 3 September 2000, for all information please call
the press officer on duty Suzanne Berger, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 37