Our Work in Afghanistan Continues to Reach the People We Need to Help
Cap Anamur has been working in Afghanistan since 2001 - one of our longest running projects. Now Bernd Göken, Managing Director of Cap Anamur, was able to visit the current projects in Herat. He reports on our training for nursing students and the dialysis unit, as well as the tutoring project for students.
On April 20. Bernd Göken entered Afghanistan via Iran with our Afghan project coordinator Faisal Haidari. Cap Anamur’s projects are all located in Herat, Afghanistan’s second largest city.
Women can still participate in the training courses
The regional hospital in Herat is the site of Cap Anamur’s training course for nurses and dialysis unit. In the current training course, 37 young women are participating. Our managing director was able to speak with both the participants and the female faculty – this was not necessarily expected. Training standards are consistently high and feedback from trainees has been consistently positive.
Bernd Göken reports that the exchange between female and male employees in the hospital is remarkable. “We did not expect that there would be a place where men and women would be allowed to be present at the same time and even be in professional exchange. But this seems to be the case in the hospitals of the country, we have been confirmed,” says the executive director of Cap Anamur. In talks with the mayor of Herat, Cap Anamur was assured that it will continue to be possible to train women as nurses in the future.
The large demand for dialysis treatments cannot be fully met
The large demand for dialysis treatments cannot be fully met Here, too, the patients are cared for by female and male employees of the hospital. Currently, six dialysis machines are in use. However, the demand is significantly higher. Our treatment is aimed at destitute people who could not afford dialysis. And a growing number of people in Afghanistan are affected by absolute poverty.
Thus, on site, the acquisition of additional equipment and support for the delivery of medicines was discussed with the responsible persons of the hospital. Currently, 166 dialysis patients are being treated. The acquisition of additional equipment could better meet the increasing demand in the future.
Tutoring for indigent students
Since 2018, we have been offering a tutoring project for students from indigent families. In tutoring courses for grades 8 -12, we support students to get a good preparation for your graduation. In the poorest families, the conditions for continuous participation in lessons and the technical equipment are usually not available to follow the lessons sufficiently or to cope with the learning material.
Now, since the Taliban took power, girls are only allowed to attend school up to the 6th grade. Therefore, the tutoring courses are also attended only by boys. Demand is extremely high. More than 2,000 students have applied for the 700 spots currently available.
What’s next?
The project visit to Afghanistan showed that Cap Anamur’s work continues to be very important. The supply situation, especially in the health care system, is catastrophic. More and more medical professionals are emigrating. The lack of personnel and materials means that medical care for the people cannot be adequately provided. With our projects, we support the health care system in the country. By training medical professionals, we can improve medical care for people, especially in rural areas. The provision of free dialysis treatment will continue to be important in the future, as fewer and fewer Afghan citizens can afford it if needed.
Most recently, in February, we extended our aid and distributed a total of 80 tons of food to very poor families (News of February 7, 2022), because the food supply has been devastating for months.