Turkish institutions continue to stand with the Afghan people, who have recently suffered heavy losses due to earthquakes and floods, with their humanitarian aid activities in Afghanistan, especially with the "Kindness Trains."
In Afghanistan, where heavy losses were experienced due to the earthquake that occurred at the end of June and the flood that followed, the survivors are clinging to life with the help of Turkish institutions.
Institutions performing aid activities in disaster areas delivered humanitarian aid to thousands of Afghan families, both routinely and with the fifth "Kindness Train".
"We aim to continue our aid with the same determination in the coming period. In this context, we are planning to distribute the materials to be brought to Afghanistan by the sixth Kindness Train service to families in need in as many provinces as possible in September, again without discrimination, taking into account the regions in need of priority." the Turkish Ambassador in Kabul Cihad Erginay said.
Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) cooperated with the Afghan Red Crescent to deliver aid to Afghanistan's disaster areas.
In these regions, in addition to food parcels containing products such as flour, oil, various legumes, sugar, salt, pasta, tomato paste for each family, tents, blankets, carpets, diapers and feeding sets, clothes, shoes, stationery items are also provided for those whose houses are damaged. Humanitarian aid materials were distributed in many items. The aid was planned to meet the needs of each family for several months. Institutions also contribute to the Afghan economy by purchasing aid other than materials from Türkiye through the "Kindness Trains" from the Afghan market.
In this process, IHH delivered 530 tons of food aid to 5,000 families in total with the fifth "Kindness Train". About 100 kilograms of food packages were delivered to each family.
In the coming days, the charity will also deliver over 400 tons of tents, blankets, carpets, clothing, fabrics, shoes, diapers and food, as well as stationery, to those in need, again with the fifth "Kindness Train".
In addition, IHH prepared hot meals for 1000 people every day for a month in the Giyan and Bermel districts of Paktika province, which was most severely affected by the earthquake, and provided food, tents, blankets, hygiene kits, tents and cash aid to hundreds of people.
Continuing the distribution of aid to a total of 15 thousand families in 10 provinces, IHH also provides aid for the development of agriculture in Afghanistan.
Accordingly, a total of 45 tons of saffron seeds and various agricultural kits were donated to 133 farmers in Kandahar and Herat.
IHH Afghanistan Coordinator Mücahid Kılıç stated that saffron seed aids will be an alternative to the cultivation of agricultural products such as poppy and hemp and have the potential to distract farmers from the drug trade.
"With the new government banning the cultivation of such products (poppy and hemp), most of the farmers became unemployed. We, as IHH, decided to distribute saffron seeds, which are an alternative to such products and have a high value, to orphaned and widowed farmer families in need. Because Afghanistan saffron is all over the world. It is shown as one of the most valuable and high-quality saffron."
Kılıç also noted that a protocol was signed between the Afghanistan Ministry of Education and IHH last week for an education complex to be established in the capital Kabul, where 1000 orphans will be sheltered and educated, and that the construction will begin soon.
AFAD, on the other hand, delivered a total of 515 tons of humanitarian aid to 3,500 families, the majority of whom were in earthquake and flood areas, and provided tents, blankets and carpets to 1200 families who suffered severe damage.
In addition to the aid, various items of aid were also delivered to orphanages and drug treatment centers.
AFAD Afghanistan Team Coordinator Serhat Gürbüz told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they successfully completed a difficult process to deliver the aid.
"Despite the difficult physical conditions in earthquake and flood areas, we were able to deliver humanitarian aid materials to those in need without any problems. We were extremely happy to be a little relief for the problems of families in need. From now on, our aid will reach Afghanistan in the near future. It will continue with the sixth Kindness Train."
The Turkish Red Crescent was one of the first institutions to run to the regions where earthquakes and floods occurred. In addition to the aid that covers thousands of families in these regions, the Turkish Red Crescent provided food aid to 1000 families last week.
Turkish Red Crescent, which has provided 200 tents to the disaster victims in the said regions, will deliver food aid to 3,500 families in need in the coming days.
Farid Ahmed Ziya, head of the Turkish Red Crescent Delegation to Afghanistan, stated that 350 tons of humanitarian aid will be distributed to families in need, together with the aid they have carried out and planned recently, and that the aid will continue.
Deepening humanitarian crisis
Ambassador Erginay also stated that the humanitarian aid materials that have come with five "Kindness Trains", the last of which are predominantly disaster areas, have been delivered to families in need in all provinces of the country.
He expressed that they support various institutions and women's groups in Afghanistan, adding: "We continue to carry out social support projects with the aid that comes with the fifth Kindness Train. In this context, we donate beds and wheelchairs to be used in hospitals and anti-drug clinics. Likewise, we provide support to women who earn their living from tailoring by donating sewing machines in Mazar-i-Sharif."
After the Taliban, while the world left Afghanistan materially and morally alone, Türkiye made a great contribution to alleviating the deepening humanitarian crisis.
In line with the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid, which came with five "Kindness Trains" sent from Türkiye to Afghanistan, was delivered to hundreds of thousands of people in need, considering the large family structure in Afghanistan.
Various kinds of food items, tents, blankets, wheelchairs, sewing machines and stationery items were prepared in many items, giving hope to the needy in 34 provinces of the country.
The first "Kindness Train," which departed from Türkiye to contribute to the mitigation of the humanitarian crisis that the Afghan people were in, arrived in Afghanistan on Feb. 7 and the distribution of aid to all provinces had begun.
Aid groups describe Afghanistan's plight as one of the world's most rapidly growing humanitarian crises. According to the United Nations, half the population now faces acute hunger, over 9 million people have been displaced and millions of children are out of school.
Previously, the U.N. and its partners launched a $4.4 billion funding appeal to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan in 2022. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also warned that millions of Afghans are on the verge of death, urging the international community to release Afghanistan's frozen assets and jump-start its banking system.
The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to the events in Afghanistan, including the emergence of the Taliban after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces. Underlining that new realities have emerged in the country, Ankara said it would move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant leaders open.
NATO member Türkiye maintained its embassy in Afghanistan after Western countries withdrew following the Taliban takeover and have urged those countries to step up engagement. At the same time, it said it will only work fully with the Taliban if they form a more inclusive administration.