Home
Afghanistan: ICRC activities, July & August 2005
31-08-2005 Operational Update
Round-up of ICRC field activities, including visits to persons deprived of freedom, health care, water and habitat, physical rehabilitation for the disabled, promotion of humanitarian law and support for the Afghan Red Crescent.
People deprived of freedom//Family Links
Under its international mandate, the ICRC visits detainees held as a result of conflict by the Afghan authorities and the US forces to regularly assess the conditions of detention, the treatment of detainees and respect of their fundamental judicial guarantees. The ICRC facilitates contacts with their families through the exchange of Red Cross Messages (RCMs).
In July and August 2005 ICRC protection teams:
visited 35 places of detention, which were holding a total of 3,985 detainees. They followed up individually 674 persons arrested in relation with the conflict or the security situation, of whom 153 were visited for the first time and registered,
provided assistance to 145 released detainees to travel home,
collected and distributed nearly 3,140 Red Cross Messages with the close collaboration of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), of which around 80 per cent were exchanged with detainees.
Health care
The ICRC helps the Afghan aut horities to provide training and effective surgical care. It also assists the authorities with the provision of parallel support services such as radiology, laboratories, blood banks and blood transfusion services, according to universally accepted minimum standards. These cover six Ministry of Health hospitals situated in urban, regional and provincial areas.
During July and August 2005, health facilities assisted by the ICRC:
provided services to 9,093 in-patients and 31,778 outpatients, and
performed 3,342 operations
As an exceptional measure, the ICRC also provided medical supplies to three additional health facilities in response to an outbreak of cholera.
Water and habitat
One of the ICRC's core tasks is to maintain access to drinking water for populations affected by conflict. The disruption and destruction of water structures and distribution systems can have disastrous health consequences. In Afghanistan, the ICRC's work includes re-establishing urban and rural water networks, sanitation projects and rehabilitation work in hospitals. Hygiene promotion and environmental health training are part of this programme.
During July and August 2005, the water and habitat team:
drilled 18 boreholes and fitted hand pumps in Kabul,
worked on three water supply projects in Kabul for around 25,000 beneficiaries,
completed two small rural water supply projects in Bamyan and prepared four others for some 1 0,500 beneficiaries,
worked on one water supply project in Herat for over 12,000 beneficiaries and prepared a new project for 125,000 beneficiaries,
worked on two water supply projects in Jalalabad for 13,000 beneficiaries,
started one water supply projects in Kandahar for 5,000 beneficiaries,
carried out maintenance in two hospitals,
In July and August 2005 the hygiene promotion teams:
gave presentations to more than 29,734 people through Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif sub-delegations,
visited 3,378 households,
conducted around 400 hygiene promotion sessions for local communities.
Rehabilitation for the disabled
The ICRC has been involved in orthopedic and rehabilitation assistance to disabled people, landmine victims and people suffering from poliomyelitis since 1988. During that time almost 70,000 patients (including more than 30,000 amputees) have been registered and assisted. Currently, the ICRC runs six orthopedic centres in Kabul, Mazar, Herat, Gulbahar, Faizabad and Jalalabad. Approximately 80 per cent of the amputees assisted are mine victims.
In July and August 2005 the orthopedic centres:
registered 2,534 new patients and made 6,414 prostheses and orthoses,
gave 54,737 physiotherapy treatments,
granted micro credit loans to 351 patients to start their own business ventures,
made over 1,238 homecare visits to paraplegic patients in Kabul.
Promotion of international humanitarian law (IHL)
The ICRC's humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening compliance with IHL.
During July and August 2005 dissemination teams conducted:
Three dissemination workshops, 46 dissemination sessions and seven briefings were conducted for 1,341 local authorities, students and teachers, NGOs, staffs Afghan Red Crescent Society, religious leaders, community elders, medical workers, and general public.
A number of sessions were also held for members of the Afghan national army and Afghan national police.
Mine action
The ICRC aims to prevent injuries and fatalities caused by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), by gathering information on the cause of accidents and the location of mines/UXOs. This information is shared with demining agencies. Together with the ARCS, the ICRC also promotes safe behaviour through mine risk education sessions for communities at risk.
In July and August 2005 mine risk education teams held 1,995 mine risk education sessions in over 1,400 locations, for more than 22,000 adults and 27,000 children, and interviewed 430 new mine /UXO victims, of whom 44 were weapons bearer s.
Cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS)
The ICRC, as part of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, assists the ARCS technically and financially to build its capacity to deliver various programmes and services to the community.
During July and August 2005, the ICRC:
supported 1,153 trainees and their 574 trainers in the vocational training programme,
completed 27 food for work projects, benefiting approximately 5,490 families,
gave various training sessions to members of ARCS staff.
-
Share
|
Back to top
