Thousands of families receive food aid in Paktika

SHARANA/TIRINKOT (Pajhwok): Thousands of destitute families received food assistance in southeastern Paktika province while elsewhere in central Uruzgan province 143 families were distributed cash assistance, officials said on Sunday.

Paktika agriculture and livestock director Mualvi Shakeeb said the government encouraged charity organizations to help poor families in the province.

He said today 7700 families in Sharana, the provincial capital, Yusufkhel, Yahyakhel, Janikhel and Urgun districts received food assistance from the World Food Program and ORD organization.

The aid included ghee, flour and salt, which would resolve the poor families’ problems to some extent.

Noor Wali, a resident of Yusufkhel district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that like other provinces, the people of Paktika had also been affected by the conflict and drought.

“Today’s assistance will last some days but it is not a permanent solution, we need work opportunities,” he said.

In central Uruzgan province, cash assistance was distributed among poor families in Kamarband area of Tirinkot, the provincial capital, by Cardaid and EMR organization, with each family receiving 18700 afghanis.

Cardaid official Sharifullah Rahil said the poor families had been indentified in a survey conducted by a joint team about a month ago.

He said these 143 families had long been living in Kamarband area after being uprooted by the conflict and were in bad economic condition. He said the aid was this time distributed in Tirinkot and it would be extended to districts as well.

One of the cash recipients, Karimullah, said their village had been a battlefield for four years and as a result they faced many problems. He said they lost everything to the conflict and now needed assistance.

Recently the distribution of aid to poor families has been ongoing in various provinces.

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