Where is the aid going? The people of Kunar are still homeless and women are left without a doctor.
Several days after the deadly earthquake in Kunar province, local residents say that despite the ongoing process of sending aid, they have not yet had direct access to this aid.
This is while international organizations and a number of countries have announced that they have sent tens of millions of dollars and various relief supplies to the victims.
According to reports, the United Nations has allocated $10 million from its emergency fund and China has allocated $7.2 million.
Germany has allocated $2.5 million, the United Kingdom $1.3 million, the European Union $1.1 million, Australia and South Korea together $2 million, Ireland $580,000 and Turkey $500,000 to help the victims.
In addition, countries in the region and around the world, including Russia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and India, have sent in-kind aid such as food, hygiene items, and tents.
Iran has also delivered its second shipment of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. According to Alireza Bekdali, the head of the Iranian embassy in Kabul, the shipment included about fifty tons of food, hygiene items, and blankets.
Along with these efforts, the affected people have expressed concern about the way the aid is being managed and distributed, saying they fear that the aid will not reach the real needy fairly.
In addition to the problem of aid distribution, the lack of female doctors has faced serious challenges for the affected women in Kunar.
Meanwhile, the United States, once Afghanistan’s largest donor, has not yet approved any aid to the earthquake victims.
According to Reuters, Washington is concerned that aid will end up in the hands of the Taliban, while the policies of the Donald Trump administration in reducing foreign aid and restricting aid agencies have diminished the United States’ previous role in leading humanitarian aid.
