76,000 people in northeastern Afghanistan receive hygiene equipment from Mission East, which also provides information on how to best protect against COVID-19.

COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Afghanistan, and communities that are already in a vulnerable situation due to conflict, internal displacement and extreme poverty are particularly at risk – and that risk is exacerbated by poor hygiene.

Mission East is working hard to reach and help as many people as possible in the Takhar and Badakhshan provinces of northeastern Afghanistan.

Soap, washing powder and disinfectant

With the support of the German development cooperation GIZ, hygiene articles and information materials are currently being distributed to 19 villages in the Rustaq district of Takhar province. A total of 7,871 families – 57,458 people in Takhar province have benefited from the assistance. Each family receives a hygiene kit consisting of soap, washing powder and disinfectant.

Efforts are targeting particularly vulnerable families who are at risk due to disability, age or discrimination. Priority is given to villages which are exposed to natural disasters or have a large influx of people affected by conflicts or natural disasters.

Returned migrant workers

The latter is particularly pertinent in the Argo and Darayeem districts of Badakhshan province. Here there is a high proportion of men and boys who had traveled to Iran to find work but who, due to Corona, are forced to return to their villages. A total of 2,620 families – a total of 19,126 people – in Badakhshan province have received support.

Everywhere, Mission East covers two main areas of intervention: Information and hygiene items. The information materials have been developed by the Afghan health authorities, and the hygiene articles have been developed in collaboration with the UN “cluster” of aid organizations working with water, sanitation and hygiene, and are fully in line with the World Health Organization WHO guidelines.