©InfoThe Afghanistan Red Crescent Society runs several health projects, including a community-based health programme and mobile and static health centres.
Decades of conflict in Afghanistan have resulted in poverty, high levels of mortality and a severely damaged public health infrastructure. Many communities live without access to safe drinking water or basic levels of sanitation.
The Afghanistan Red Crescent Society is working with volunteers from villages in Balkh province and together they are having a huge impact on people’s health. An unusual and encouraging aspect of the programme is that 120 female volunteers are involved, as recruiting female workers is a major challenge in Afghanistan’s conservative society.
Health problems
Common health problems afflicting people include, anaemia, malnutrition and drug use. In addition, there are seasonal diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, malaria and pneumonia. Very few households have traditional latrines and there is little evidence of hygiene practice, such as washing of hands.
The community-based health programme improves the environment of the community, both reducing demand on clinics and complementing their activities. It reaches 10,000 people through:
- health and hygiene promotion
- curative and preventative health services
- water and sanitation, such as building and rehabilitating wells and latrines.
The programme, running from 2008-2013, is improving health practices in districts identified by the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health as having significant health needs. Volunteers are being trained in hygiene promotion, first aid and also how to maintain wells and latrines to ensure improvements to communities’ health can be sustained. Women are encouraged to participate in the training as well as in the community groups formed to help identify local needs.
Lifeline to health services
As well as supporting the community-based health programme, the British Red Cross has supported both the mobile and static health centres since 2004. These provide basic healthcare services to local people. Staff in the centres are also trained in maternal and child health.
With security deteriorating daily and a continuation of armed conflict, the services provided by these programmes are a lifeline for a population lacking access to basic health services.
For almost 30 years, the International Committee of the Red Cross, supported by the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society, has run health and rehabilitation programmes, visited prisoners and restored links between family members separated by conflict.
See other healthcare programmes we support.