Making a difference to the health of Afghan families

Oxfam, in partnership with the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and several Afghan NGOs, is working in rural Afghanistan to improve the lives of more than 100,000 people by providing clean drinking water, sanitation facilities and access to food security.

Afghans’ lack of access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities directly contributes to some of the world’s highest child and maternal mortality rates. According to the UN, only 27% of Afghans have access to safe drinking water, and 8% to proper sanitation facilities. As a result, a quarter of all Afghan children under the age of five get diarrhoea each year.

In consultation with local organisations including community groups, Oxfam and its partners are constructing 300 improved water supply systems in 120 communities. This consists of protected springs and water distributed through taps in Badakhshan Province, boreholes (deeper wells) in Kandahar Province and shallow wells in Daikundi Province. Once each water point has been completed, the water is tested for quality and then handed over for community use and maintenance.

A total of 1,200 sanitary latrines are also being constructed for vulnerable families as part of the project.

Public Health education is central to the ongoing success of the project and Oxfam staff and partners are increasing awareness of public health issues by training community groups, teachers and students about the need for safe water, safe food preparation and personal and environmental hygiene. Over 16,000 people have also been trained on the importance of hand-washing and the correct use of oral rehydration salts.

Mothers’ groups meet on a monthly, and sometimes weekly, basis to improve breastfeeding and childcare practices and reduce child mortality. These community support groups are particularly important as in remote areas, health clinics can be inaccessible for up to six months’ of winter. Over 20,000 hygiene kits, including buckets and soap have also been distributed to improve household hygiene.

Sayed Omer, also called Pahlawan, is a resident of Darwaz Shkel village in Yawan district. His community has benefited from the outcomes of the project and appreciates it. “Before supplying water by PRB (Partners in Revitalisation and Building) we were deprived of safe and healthy drinking water and we used to drink dirty water which caused water-borne diseases in so many people in the village. Especially our children were the victims of these diseases." says Pahlawan.

"Most of our mere incomes was spent on medicines and doctors. Now we do not have such problems caused by water. When we collect water from the pipes, we keep it in covered buckets and drink it whenever necessary. We hope that a day will come when all the villages can benefit from such services."

Bibi Khial, an elderly blind woman from Bakh-e-shah village, Argo District, Badakhshan Province who received cash aid and participated in the health trainings said, “Now I feel a big change in my life and the lives of my family regarding health because of this project. Thanks to the project team and to its donor, Khalifa Foundation.”

The project is also helping vulnerable families earn a living. Cash and seeds for work projects are also being run to help 3,000 households and cash aid is supporting 500 vulnerable households, in the three provinces.