By Maryann Horne, as originally appeared in the Irish News, 20 December
Senior Humanitarian Advisor with the British Red Cross Maryann Horne
As we drove about bumping along small mud trails in Afghanistan this month to visit some remote projects, my mind kept on drifting to Northern Ireland and the days of my youth.
As we visited humanitarian clinics and projects run by the Red Cross and Red Crescent, old reflexes resurfaced. I scanned the flags, graffiti on the walls as we approached villages.
The landscapes may be beautiful, but the reality facing its people has never been bleaker. The country is on its knees, the economy in free fall and hope is slipping away. At the heart of the crisis is an ongoing severe drought, a lack of cash and functioning banking system. The aftershocks of the pandemic, fighting and displacement are still rife.
The country is bracing itself for the worse humanitarian crisis in decades. Lives are already being lost to hunger, the lack of functioning hospitals and disease. I watched queues grow from morning to nightfall around the gates of Kabul’s main paediatric hospital.
People in Afghanistan are proud, strong and incredibly resilient, but there’s a sense of desperation in their eyes that I’ve not seen before.
For me, there were comparisons between scenes witnessed in my youth and Afghanistan today, but it’s the lessons we learned about the importance of empowering people affected by a crisis that resonated the most as I thought of home.
As the humanitarian effort takes shape, it is critical that the little aid that is being put forward remains guided by those it serves. Communities who understand the needs and have the trust of those most vulnerable must be listened to. They must remain at the heart of identifying beneficiaries and delivering aid.
On my travels, I met many Afghan women - strong, resilient, and proud. While their sons and men are forced to work away, they run communities. They are leaders. Many have up to twelve children. They organise, feed, care and know better than most what aid is needed and how it should be delivered.
I met many of these women in remote clinics run by the Afghan Red Crescent. The mobile community clinics, today threatened by lack of funding, are their only access to basic health.
As we sat on the floor surrounded by sick children, they spoke with a resignation I’ve rarely observed. Most are cutting down on food portions because they just don’t have enough cash. Many brought children under five already showing signs of malnutrition. Drawn eyes, heavy limbs, faces without the sparkle and mischief of youth.
Food and medical aid distribution by the Afghan Red Crescent.
The needs in Afghanistan aren’t just about food. The situation requires even more sophisticated humanitarian responses. These responses rely on working with national humanitarian organisations such as the Afghan Red Crescent who are embedded at the heart of the community.
They are more resolute than ever on ensuring every penny is spent on those at the margins. They may be affected themselves. But they put themselves second. I spoke to several nurses and midwives who have turned up every day before, during and since the transition in August without getting paid for now four months. With the banking system paralysed, they may not get paid for many more.
There’s also a particular affinity between the few Northern Irish aid workers in Kabul today. Most left with the transition. My colleague from Belfast is a United Nation’s access specialist and is scouring the country to improve understanding of the UN humanitarian system and build relations. Another friend from Coleraine is advising senior UN officials. We like to joke we may be small tribe, but we’re mighty!
As the crisis worsens, we are honoured to be on the front lines serving the response effort. But I hope we won’t be alone and that you, as readers, will join us. This week the Disasters Emergency Committee, of which British Red Cross is a member, has launched its Afghanistan Crisis Appeal. The generosity of folk from Northern Ireland is legendary. Afghanistan today needs some of that generosity more than ever. Please donate to the DEC appeal – if you can. Every single penny will help us and the thirteen aid agencies represented to save lives.
Donations can be made online at dec.org.uk and phone 0370 60 60 610.
To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70150.?Texts cost £10 and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal. You must be 16 or over. Full terms and conditions and more information is at dec.org.uk.
People can also donate over the counter at any bank or post office, or send a cheque by post to DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.