Some Herat residents say aid distributed unfairly

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Some residents in western Herat province are worried about the unjust distribution of aid while acting government officials have also acknowledged that some challenges existed in this regard.

They claimed in some areas undeserving people received the aid on the bases of their relationship with local elders and community leaders.

Abdul Rahim, the resident of Nawabad area who once received aid, told Pajhwok Afghan News he has a four wheeler and transfer goods from one area to another to earn livelihood for himself. He has a seven-member family.

He added in the past one year he received aid once while other people in his area got aid several times.

“There is no one poorer then me in the area, aid should be provided to me if there is,” he said.

Safia, another needy lady in the area also complained against the unjust distribution of aid and said there are some people in their area who did not deserve to get aid and are doing well financially but still each of their family members have a card and receive aid.

Jumma Gul, one of the needy person from Pul Rangina area, said: “Once a delegation come to our area for registration, they observe me and included my name in the list and it was the first time I receive aid from the past 18 months while other individual like me distributed aid several times.”

He said if the delegation did not see him, he would have not been included to the list and the because community leader also ignored her.

Abdul Qadir Asami, World Food Programme director for Herat, acknowledged some challenged existed in the food distribution process and stressed they paid more attention to find eligible persons in the community.

He said aid receivers go through a proper process and some filters before they are chosen for aid distribution.

“The names of those getting aid are process so many times and then included in the list.”

“Only community leaders and elders are not involved, our teams scrutinized the process, check the names to make sure that aid go to most deserving people but if there something wrong on the ground people could complain to us,” he said.

Local officials also acknowledged that they received complaints regarding

the unjust distribution of aid.

Information and Cultural Affairs Director Mawlana Naeemul Haq Haqqani said local officials also supported NGOs and aid providing agencies in aid distribution.

Based on the WFP statistics 24 million people in Afghanistan out of total 35 million direly needed aid.

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