Reconstruction Aid for Earthquake Victims in Afghanistan is Progressing
The earthquake in Afghanistan on October 7, 2023 almost completely destroyed some rural regions of Herat province. More than 1400 people lost their lives. Cap Anamur is providing reconstruction aid in the region.
After the earthquake, the Afghan region in the Zindajan district resembled a field of rubble. The houses, most of which were built of clay, collapsed during the 6.3 magnitude quake. Many people were buried under the collapsed houses. We provided immediate emergency aid with our medical team from Herat and provided relief supplies for those affected (read more about this in our news from October 9, 2023)
The people in the affected area lost everything in the earthquake
Even before the earthquake, the supply situation in the region was catastrophic. To a certain extent, there was no functioning infrastructure. There was no electricity supply and no access to clean drinking water. Repeated long-lasting droughts in recent years have brought the people, who live mainly from goat and sheep farming and the meagre yields from agricultural use, to the brink of survival. Now most of the families are also homeless.
Reconstruction aid for the devastated region
After the immediate emergency aid, we quickly started planning the reconstruction of the houses, as winter was just around the corner. The procurement of the building materials was organized in no time. However, construction of the houses could not begin straight away.
Now that all the bureaucratic hurdles have been overcome and the weather conditions have improved to the extent that transportation routes are passable and the ground has thawed, we have started building a total of 30 planned residential buildings. These are two-room apartments with a hallway, bathroom and kitchen.
Solid and earthquake-proof residential buildings are being constructed
The houses are built according to government specifications in order to guarantee uniform assistance. Instead of the usual clay construction, bricks are used and attention is paid to a solid and earthquake-proof construction method.
After completion, the houses will be handed over to the officially registered earthquake victim families. Many villagers are helping with the construction work and their wages are intended to help them through the financial hardship.
Cap Anamur provides long-term aid
In the more than 20 years that Cap Anamur has been working in Afghanistan, we have built 35 schools and 4 hospitals, creating structures that the population can use in the long term.
As earthquakes frequently occur in Afghanistan, our construction measures have always been implemented in an earthquake-proof manner. The health center we built in the affected region in 2012 also survived the October 2023 quake. Many of the injured also received immediate medical treatment there.
After the earthquake in 2023, we once again initiated long-term aid for the affected population with the reconstruction measures. It is important to us that we provide continuous aid in our project countries in addition to emergency aid measures. This is more effective and helps those affected more effectively.