KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (NNN-Bernama) — MERCY Malaysia has activated its Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan that details strategic objectives and priorities for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan including core relief as well as immediate, mid and long-term solutions.
MERCY Malaysia in a statement on Friday said that the plan encompasses food aid; healthcare and COVID-19 support and water, sanitarian and hygiene (WASH).
Under food aid, the assistance includes core support for the delivery of life-saving emergency food assistance across Afghanistan; providing vulnerable populations with locally, regionally and internationally procured in-kind food assistance; cash transfers for food and food vouchers.
“The components under healthcare and COVID-19 support include primary healthcare, COVID-19 support, mental health and psychosocial support and child and women-friendly space,” the statement read.
MERCY Malaysia also noted that interventions that would be undertaken include supplying clean water through water tankers at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, distribution of hygiene kits to affected families and hygiene awareness campaigns.
The MERCY Malaysia Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan provides a framework for an immediate response (three to six months), mid-term response (six-12 months) and long-term response (three years).
To ensure access for efficient delivery of aid, as well as to build local organisations’ capacity, MERCY Malaysia is partnering with Afghanistan NGO’s which are members of the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN).
Meanwhile, MERCY Malaysia president Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus said at this point in time, the projected funding requirement that would enable MERCY Malaysia to activate the immediate phase of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan is RM2 million (US$478,272).
“To date, MERCY Malaysia has RM450,000 (US$107,607) in the Afghanistan Relief Fund to initiate with local partners in Afghanistan humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups including the IDP,” he said, adding that the local partners not only will ramp up urgent response and interventions but facilitate community-based empowerment that MERCY Malaysia has long advocated.
MERCY Malaysia first entered Afghanistan in 2001 and, since then, has provided more than 20 programmes in Afghanistan ranging from Disaster Risk Management Programmes to the setting up of the Kandahar Vocational Training Centre.
— NNN-BERNAMA