Scottish funding for Afghan people hit by triple earthquake ‘will help create hope’

Afghanistan suffered three earthquakes over eight days

Afghan children play near their makeshift tents at Nayeb Rafi village in Zendeh Jan district of Herat province on 10 December, two months since the first of three earthquakes to hit the region.

When a major series of earthquakes hit western Afghanistan two months ago, the world was distracted.

The first shock, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, occurred on 7 October, at the same time as Hamas militants stormed Israel’s borders, killing more than 1,000 people and sparking a major retaliation – and ensuing humanitarian crisis – in Gaza.

The first earthquake was followed by two more of a similar magnitude four days apart, as well as further aftershocks in subsequent days, which devastated huge swathes of the largely rural region. In Afghanistan’s Herat province and surrounding areas, 1,482 people were killed and 2,100 wounded as a result of the quakes – with tens of thousands displaced from their homes.

"The media attention shifted,” said Subrata De, country manager for Afghanistan for Christian Aid, known as CAID in Afghanistan. “I'm not saying that Gaza is less important. Each humanitarian response is equally important. But Afghanistan did not get that kind of coverage in the global media.”

The charity, which is to receive £125,000 in funding from the Scottish Government to help the aid effort through the government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) – has since been working to distribute “multi purpose cash” to 310 families who have lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the disaster.

The money will be used by families to buy essentials to help them through the harsh winter, when temperatures can drop to as low as minus 21 Celsius.

The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), will be given a similar amount through the fund to provide winter items to 1,050 people from 150 households.

“Every penny is important,” added Mr De. “And on behalf of the Afghan people, I would like to thank the Scottish Government for allocating this money. It is going to be hugely helpful.”

A total of 48,347 families in 382 villages were directly affected, with 10,002 houses completely destroyed. Many thousands of more have been damaged and require expensive repair work to make them safe.

Christian Aid’s head office in Afghanistan is located in Herat city and its 15 staff forced to sleep outside in their cars, or in tents given to them by their employer, for over a month in fear of further aftershocks which could destroy buildings.

"All of the team in Herat are affected themselves: they are affected and they are responding,” said Mr De. “The whole day they used to work with us and at night they cannot sleep because if there is an aftershock, they will have to run.”

Women and children were disproportionately affected by the earthquake, as many men were absent at the time the first quake hit – either tending to animals outside in the fields, or working in neighbouring Iran.

"It was at around 11 o'clock in the morning, and men were mostly outside, or in Iran,” said Mr De. “A large number of them travel there to work, because the border is very nearby, within 100 kilometres, so they go, they work to earn money and come back. They were not at home.

"Women and children, however, were inside, so were mostly affected, especially in the Ground Zero of the earthquake.”

The rebuilding work has been hampered by a number of factors.

Initially, villagers wanted to clear the rubble of their homes themselves by hand in a bid to preserve the bodies of family members who could still be buried there.

Meanwhile, although the Taliban government has pledged to build 2,000 new homes for families affected by the disaster, international sanctions on the organisation, which took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, mean aid money is not allowed to be allocated to Taliban projects.

A series of sandstorms and heavy rain also swept away temporary tent accommodation used by some people displaced from their homes.

Mr De said the number of people still living in tents is around 27,000, with the majority of those affected having either been able to return to their homes or find alternative accommodation, many with family or friends.

"A lot of people went to Herat city, as it is not far away,” he said. “Every household has their own situation. Some of them have had their entire house dismantled, some of them partly dismantled. Each household has their own stories.”

He said the multi-purpose funding provided by the Scottish Government would allow each household to purchase items required for winter according to their own need. It will be distributed according to a priority list, with households with single women at the head prioritised, as well as elderly people and those with disabilities.

"The good thing about this funding is that it is not conditional, it is unconditional,” he said. “We deliberately kept it that way so that people can go and use it on their own. There are people who are medically affected, so maybe some some sort of medical assistance also will be used from this money, for others it will be blankets, or warm clothes.”

Lorraine Currie, chief executive of SCIAF, said: “SCIAF works to prevent disasters around the world – but when they do strike, we respond as soon as possible through local partners. This allows us to work quickly and effectively in some of the most challenging places on earth – like Afghanistan – ensuring we serve those most in need.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland for this funding support.”

Announcing the funding, the Scottish Government’s international development minister, Christina McKelvie said: “Our thoughts are with the thousands of people in Afghanistan struggling to survive and facing into an uncertain winter in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake that hit Herat in October.”

She added: “HEF funding will help people start to rebuild their lives and look towards 2024 with a greater sense of optimism and hope.”