A proud land struggles to shake off ravages of war
Aid for Afghanistan in short supply
April 5, 1996
Web posted at: 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT)KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Aid agencies that abandoned Kabul when the fierce fighting in the Afghanistan capital was at its worst are trickling back. But they can barely cope with the humanitarian disaster wreaked on the once-vibrant city, especially since funds for the forgotten war are scant.
Photo essay: faces of Afghanistan
The government has left most relief efforts to the United Nations and other international organizations, but so far the United Nations has received only about half the funds it has appealed for. That amount is barely sufficient for the most basic humanitarian needs.
Orphanages are full of children whose parents are not all dead. Many babies have simply been forsaken by parents who can't look after them. Afghanistan's civil war, which has stretched for more than 17 years, has killed nearly half a million children and, according to the United Nations, widowed a quarter of its women.
Aid is divided between the needy and the desperate. But there remains a yawning gap, with the result that more and more of Kabul's hungry kids end up thronging hospitals that can't help them.
Officials say donors are not drawn to a drama that plays out in the dark.
"We just keep contacting our office and screaming emergency and we get ... (pause). But it's really just a drop in the bucket for the needs here," said U.N. Team leader Terry Pitzner
Afghans plead: Don't forget
More than a million Afghans died to help the United States fight against the Soviets and hasten the collapse of communism.
Now, all they ask is that their sacrifice not be forgotten.
But America gives little and Russia, which helped destroy Afghanistan, gives nothing but military aid, which keeps the civil war going. It is a madness not lost on Afghanistan's people.
"We know ... that it's gone back 100 years. ... We have enough brains to understand that ... but foreign interference keeps us fighting," said one angry Afghan.
April brings color -- and war
In Kabul, April brings a splash of color; it also brings another season of war.
At one mental hospital, a mother has sunk into a morass of anxiety and depression, constantly fearful that her 12-year-old son will be drafted to the front.
And as for those who return from the front, there are few psychiatrists left at institutions to help them. Kabul's health and social services have collapsed because most of Afghanistan's professionals have fled, tired of a war that seems endless.
U.N.-run neighborhood clinics find that 80 percent of all children and adults in the city are underfed. Only 15 percent of the people can afford the soaring food prices. Poverty has stopped being selective and is now spreading throughout Kabul.
Even though special programs cater to the most vulnerable, many people complain that there is not enough to eat. Frederick Roussel of the Acted Relief Agency admits they can barely feed every mouth.
"We try to favor the poorest," he said. "Those in the most heavily bombarded areas like this one."
Despite deprivation, a proud people
Afghanistan may have lost its strategic importance, but not its legendary pride.
Instead of relying on handouts, the able-bodied join the aid agencies' labor intensive programs -- digging drainage ditches, building flood walls, and improving living conditions in return for food.
Yet despite the depths of their deprivation, Afghans summon up a wealth of dignity, kindness, and warmth -- gems to remind others of the great civilization they once had.
Not so long ago, an American writer celebrated the glorious beauty of Kabul's women; heralded a city that bustled with tourists, theaters, restaurants and universities. A city that stood tall and proud is, today, a testimony to the ravages of war, greed, and global indifference.
CNN Correspondent Christiane Amanpour contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Infighting saps Afghanistan
- Fighting in Afghanistan kills at least 14
- Ancient lands, modern times
- Afghan rebels bomb residential areas in Kabul
Related sites:
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/WORLD/images/9601/navbar2.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
