Afghanistan: Emergency Relief after the Earthquake in Badghis
Berlin / Kabul, 25 January 2022
Johanniter care for the injured and provide winter aid
On 17 January 2022, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 occurred in the Qadis district of Badghis province in western Afghanistan. Thousands of houses were damaged or completely destroyed. 27 people died and hundreds were injured. "People have been sheltering in makeshift shelters or tents. Now, in the wintertime, with nightly temperatures below zero, life-threatening colds are imminent, especially for children," fears Louis Marijnissen, Johanniter Head of Mission in Afghanistan.
Johanniter has been working in Badghis for a year now, providing medical care for 52,000 people together with its partner Medical Management and Research Courses Afghanistan (MMRCA). "After the earthquake, a mobile medical team from MMRCA immediately travelled to the hard-hit district of Qadis and provided emergency medical aid. Some seriously injured people had to be taken to nearby hospitals," Marijnissen continues.
For the next two weeks, the team will continue to care for the injured and sick, as well as conduct health education for the population.
Medical and winter aid continue
Even before the earthquake, people in Badghis province were living in very harsh conditions. The region is very rural and people live on what little they can grow. A severe drought and last year's fighting in the region led to many people suffering from great poverty and hunger. Johanniter and MMRCA will therefore support the affected people not only with medical aid, but also with winter clothing, blankets, heating material as well as shelter repair.
Johanniter also continues to provide medical aid to the population in Kabul and Khost province. Over the past months, we have been able to care for more than 108,000 people. Now, in winter, we are providing additional financial support so that they can buy warm clothes, blankets and heating material. The people's huts are also being made winter-proof.
