By Xinhua,
Kabul : The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working with the Afghan Red Crescent Society to deliver aid to 280,000 people in the northern and north-western Afghan provinces to help them overcome difficulties in the coming winter, said the ICRC Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of Afghans may have to leave their homes this winter because of drought, insecurity and rising food prices in the north of the country, ICRC warned in a statement released here.
“ICRC was working with the Afghan Red Crescent Society to meet the needs of 280,000 people (40,000 families) in eight districts of the northern and north-western provinces of Kunduz, Balkh, Faryab and Badghis by distributing around 5,000 metric tons (500 truckloads) of food,” the statement said.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society volunteers will deliver food parcels containing rice, beans, ghee, salt, white sugar and tea in two rounds to people living in the most affected areas, it said.
“The beneficiaries were chosen on the basis of need by the Society’s survey teams. The first distribution will take place before the onset of winter, the second in early 2009,” it added.
The ICRC delivers its humanitarian aid in Afghanistan in cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent Society, which has a grass roots network of over 20,000 volunteers and carries out humanitarian work in all provinces of the country.
In 2007 the Afghan Red Crescent Society provided food and other assistance to more than 500,000 families, and health services to around one million individuals in the war-torn country.