Afghanistan > Activities by Sectors
Health Services
Years of neglect have left a legacy of serious health issues in remote areas of Afghanistan. There has been very limited access to basic health services, with few health facilities or qualified medical personnel for the vulnerable population.
In Badakhshan, a 2002 UNICEF study revealed that the province had the highest maternal mortality rate ever recorded. The area also has an extraordinarily high infant mortality rate. In the extremely conservative parts of Badakhshan, women have often been prevented from visiting health clinics, due to the conservative ideas of their families, even when the women were in a life-threatening medical condition.
Ongoing drought in the Central Highlands has contributed to malnutrition among the population. The area is also susceptible to outbreaks of disease.
Emergency Relief
Medair responds to natural disasters in the regions, providing health assistance as needed. We undertake special projects to deliver food aid to the most vulnerable households that are in need before the onset of winter.
Rehabilitation
Women in a clinic in Afghanistan
Where once there was virtually no health care access in Badakhshan, Medair now runs a Primary Health Care project in four of its remote districts, along with an Emergency Centre for maternity care. Improving maternal care and care for children has been a major priority.
A special addition has been built in the central community health facility that now makes it possible to provide Caesarean sections within reach of the communities in this region. Further clinic construction is planned in one of the remote regions.
Previously there was hardly a single male doctor, but currently the Medair programme can boast 12 full-time female medical professionals (including three doctors, three nurses, and six midwives) based in the remote clinics alongside their male colleagues. Many women now attend the clinics regularly, as Medair staff have seen momentous behavioural change in this area.
Medair supports a Sustainable Outreach Vaccination Campaign that targets children and pregnant women in remote locations which are far from health facilities. We also provide basic training in health and nutrition.
In both regions, Medair operates food security projects that offer a more sustainable solution to the ongoing problem of malnutrition. People from economically vulnerable families can benefit from these projects, that include income generated through work projects on roads and irrigation channels, the provision of seeds, and support with cultivation.
Water & Sanitation
Afghanistan is considered one of the worst countries in the world regarding water and sanitation. There is a lack of access to safe water and sanitation in the Central Highlands and Badakhshan, which increases the risk of disease outbreaks and vulnerability of the people.
Emergency Relief
Badakhshan is in a very seismically active region and landslides occur annually. Mainstreamed into the WatSan project is a Disaster Risk Reduction aspect that involves planning and working with communities which are at high risk to be hit by local disasters, in order to prepare them and mitigate the potential effects of a disaster. In the event of a disaster, Medair is ready to respond with water and sanitation activities.
Rehabilitation
Medair runs projects to increase rural water supply and improve sanitation in the Central Highlands and in Badakhshan. Hygiene promotion and training are another important part of Medair’s activities in both regions. Medair is planning to expand its effective water and sanitation work to more unsupported areas in Badakhshan and the Central Highlands.
Shelter & Infrastructure
There is very limited infrastructure in the remote areas of Afghanistan where Medair works. There are few roads or public buildings that provide health or education, and the high incidence of natural disasters frequently puts existing infrastructure at risk.
Rehabilitation
Although not its primary focus, Medair provides support to construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation projects. These include roads, health clinics, airstrips, bridges, and schools.
Medair is currently seeking funding to construct a Basic Health Centre in the remote district of Raghistan, where almost 38,000 people are over eight hours away from the nearest health clinic. They are unable to access health care during the five winter months, when heavy snow and avalanches cut off access to neighbouring districts.
Medair is also seeking funding to implement a community-based disaster preparedness program for three districts in Badakhshan which are prone to floods, landslides, and earthquakes. This program will help isolated communities in high-risk areas to identify their own vulnerabilities to natural disasters. It will also assist in the development of mitigation strategies at community and district levels, while strengthening the disaster management system at the provincial level.