|
|
|
Action Card for June 2005Afghanistan’s long road to recovery
A census conducted in Pakistan earlier this year counted just over three million Afghans who arrived since the start of the chaos in Afghanistan in 1979. Some are refugees who fled from conflict while others went to Pakistan to seek work.
Since the fall of the Taliban many people have returned to Afghanistan, particularly to Kabul and other urban centres. Kabul suffered badly through years of war with around two fifths of the city destroyed. After 2001 it quickly transformed into a bustling and vibrant city again.
However many more Afghans have so far chosen to remain in Pakistan. Some, having moved away from a rural lifestyle to seek work in a more urban setting, know that they would not be able to earn a living back at home. Others have families and cannot return until basic health care and education is available.
Life expectancy in Afghanistan is little more than 40 years and the country still has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. One third of children still do not go to school and Afghanistan suffers one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the world at 28%. The statistics put Afghanistan near the bottom of world rankings in many aspects. It will take time too. In a district in the north of the country there are 11 schools, ten for boys and one for girls. The people of the district want to build more schools, prioritising education for girls. However, it will be difficult to find women to teach in new schools for girls. There are apparently no women in the district with literacy skills and the local people are pessimistic about their chances of attracting teachers to such a remote rural area.
The country’s new Constitution outlaws gender discrimination and states that men and women “have equal rights and duties before the law”. A quarter of seats are now reserved for women in the National Assembly and elections take place in September. However the activities of warlords and opium production have caused further insecurity which currently threatens development activities and the rebuilding of democratic processes.
Afghanistan will need sustained support from international donors in order to overcome the damage done by over 20 years of conflict. On the 21 June, the Government of Afghanistan will hold donor conference in London to which governments around the world are invited to pledge development assistance. Previously many governments have responded reasonably well but support will need to be sustained for many years if Afghanistan is to provide opportunities for its children and hope for refugees in Pakistan.
The UK government has so far pledged support until 2007. Please express your concern for the people of Afghanistan by writing to:
The Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Department for International Development, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
Christians Aware 2 Saxby Street, Leicester LE2 0ND, Tel/Fax 0116 275 0770
|
