Last week I reported on the tragedy in the refugee camps in Kabul in which at least 23 children under age five have frozen to death since Jan. 15th, as a result of temperatures in the mid-teens with families sleeping in unheated tents and inadequate blankets. (See "In the Midst of $2 Billion Per Week Spending on War, Babies Freezing in Kabul for Lack of Food, Fuel.") This was first reported by Rod Nordland of the New York Times.
The British Afghan Women's Society is acting fast to prevent an even worse repeat of the unexpected cold spell tragedy. In the camps, always misery-ridden at any time of year, the babies with weakened immune systems from poor nutrition succumbed quickly. Heat is drawn from small bodies in a fraction of the time as adults, and hypothermia sets in especially quickly
This week the temperatures in Kabul will be in the upper to mid-twenties until Monday, then Tuesday's forecast is low teens. Then on Wednesday they will plunge down to the single digits, 7 degrees F.
The British Afghan Women's Society will be taking donations at collection points across the UK. The cargo will then be loaded onto an air cargo transport. The air cargo transport donor or donors, angels in the true sense of the word, will land in Kabul, where eager hands and contacts on the other side will take charge of distribution of blankets, warm baby clothes, baby formula, food, vitamins, and other manner of assistance.
To bulk up the load for a cargo plane, donations are being accepted from the British Afghan Womens' Society. American credit cards can be used even though donations are denominated in British pounds. A small conversion fee may be charged. Please reference donation with the note "winter012."
British Afghan Women's Society online donation link.
Further donation information
Please contact, "Send emergency supplies to the Kabul refugee camps!":
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Afghanistan:
rcrocker@bushschool.tamu.edu and kabulwebmaster@state.gov
The White House:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
White House Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/...
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
General John Allen, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan:
pressoffice@hq.isaf.nato.int
Contact Congress: "Pass emergency assistance to Kabul refugees now!"
Photojournalist Andrea Bruce covering the story:
UPDATE: Starvation Among Children in Afghanistan Reaches Epidemic Proportions
What is truly criminal is this would be so easy to fix, were the US to devote as much as what it spends in 2 weeks on war on the one national development program that works, and has been proven to be honest, competent, and capable of handling many thousands of small infrastructure projects which put income into the hands of the poorest Afghans. This crisis that is now at emergency levels, killing 30,000 children every year. Drought and poverty are at its root. According to Save the Children, who are working in the country, 60% of children - more than 15 million - are chronically malnourished. ITN’s Emma Murphy reports from an Afghan hospital.
The diarist is co-founder of Jobs for Afghans.
