Tuesday October 18, 2016
Kabul (BNA) Officials of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) said, ‘the ARCS started a program names ‘Red Crescent to All’ for one week, aims to collect assistances to natural disasters affected people, war-affected people and treatment of those children who are faced with heart-hole disease.’
The program started on Mizan 24 and will end on 30, the officials further said. The ARCS Secretary General (SG), Mohammad Naeem said that one of the main objectives of his administration was to help needy people, internally displaced people (IDPs) and the children with heart problem, adding we are making effort to collect assistances to them by holding Special Week.’ He also said that last year, we collected 40mln Afghanis which was including one day salary of the government and non-government employees, merchants and selling of lottery tickets of the organization, in which 18mln Afghanis had been allocated for the provinces and the rest for treatment of the children whose hearts were hole. Replying a question on addressing the needy people, he said, ‘totally, the ARCS has prepared its operational and strategic plans for four years (2016 to 2020) and everything will be made based on our activities.’
So far, we could only meet the problems of war-affected people and those left their homes and settled in neighboring provinces or in Kabul, he said, adding we could provide assistances to only 700 families of Kunduz province who are settled in Takhar.
Unfortunately this year, the number of IDPs has considerably climbed and assistances of the ARCS is not enough to them, he said, adding the administration has provided relief items such as foodstuffs, tents and health packages to displaced people of Kunduz, Helmand, Farah and Uruzgan provinces so far. Unfortunately, currently, there are almost one million displaced people in the country, some of whom have returned from abroad and some have displaced due to war in their provinces he said, adding his administration has assisted to 30,000 families so far. He also asked all charity foundations and merchants of the country to help in special week so we can assist more needy people and children. Expressing concern on children with hole in the heart, he said, ‘unfortunately, 6000 children have registered in ARCS, but we can only treat 1000 of them annually which cost 3mln Afghanis, but we are making effort to pave the way for other children too to be cured soon.’
On returning Afghan refugees from abroad, he said that beside other challenges, it was a serious concern in the country, but the ministry of refugees and repatriates is more responsible in this regard, as the ARCS could cooperate in refugees’ registration in some parts of the country.
ARCS as the 83rd member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been following the fundamental principles for more than 8 decades. ARCS is the sole country-wide humanitarian organization that is auxiliary to government in humanitarian affairs during armed conflicts and natural disasters. Each year, the last week of month Mizan (about 15th-21st October) is known as ARCS Special Week, so ARCS staff and volunteers run a donation collection campaign to gather relief items from people throughout Afghanistan. The Special Week is an opportunity to promote, publicize the seven fundamental principles and ARCS objectives, and appreciate volunteers’ utmost attempts in providing relief items to affected people in most remote areas where no only else can reach. ARCS is an independent, impartial and sole-national humanitarian organizations.
Suraya Raiszada