Swiss plan further aid projects for Afghanistan
The Taliban's withdrawal from key Afghan cities has given new impetus to the aid mission, and focused attention on the long-term challenges ahead.
A delegation from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation this week returned from a mission to Central Asia to assess the progress of humanitarian programmes for Afghanistan.
The organisation has already sent three air cargo loads of aid via Turkmenistan – mostly tents, sleeping bags, blankets and food – for Afghans fleeing war and poverty.
A convoy of trucks is also on route from the organisation’s camp in Pristina, Kosovo, to bring Swiss humanitarian aid, mostly tents, over the land bridge into the war zone in Afghanistan.
Tony Frisch, who headed the humanitarian aid and disaster relief delegation, says the ousting of the ultra-Islamic Taliban regime has now opened up new possibilities to rebuild the war-torn nation.
“The situation there in the past few days has changed dramatically. That’s why we have to be prepared for different situations. We hope that in the coming weeks and months, the main part of the country will be under control so that humanitarian assistance is possible.”
A source of hope
The agency’s director, Walter Fust, says the resilience of Afghans in harsh conditions and their efforts in the past two decades of civil war to maintain internal supply lines is a source of hope for international aid agencies.
However, Fust says one of the biggest challenges they face in the long-term is getting Afghan youths accustomed to the notion of peace after years of bloodshed in the region.
“Afghan youths of 18 or 19 years old have never lived in peace. So how do they do live with peace, how do they behave when confronted by peace? It’s completely different type of life.”
Fust believes that education of both women and children should be one of the top priorities in the plan to stabilise Afghanistan and to rebuild its economy.
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