With the crisis at hand since the Taliban came to power, MEPO has been committed to reaching people directly who need help in Kabul, particularly those in need of food aid due to displacement or loss of work, etc. But this was much more challenging that anyone expected due to safety and security concerns. It took several weeks until finally our teachers, Fatima and Razia, volunteered to do it. It was as simple as buying food and giving it away, and they knew of needy families in their neighborhood.
They told us of their plan, accessed some MEPO donation money, and DID IT. They very simply went to the local market and bought supplies of lentils, rice, oil, flour and salt for an average size family (about 7 people on average) and put a week’s worth of supplies into large canvas bags.
They then offered the bags of food to the women nearby whom were either begging or were obviously struggling. Razia and Fatima in this way began the food aid project with 10 families, ultimately helping around 60-80 people.
Having seen that brave Fatima and Razia encountered no difficulties in this task, the rest of the staff was encouraged and empowered. They proceeded to begin expanding the work the following week, and a few days later they had identified 93 needy families – close to 1000 people. They are beginning the process of getting the funds from the bank (a tightly controlled process now) and procuring the food, and will begin distribution in the next week.
Our hope is to provide these needy families with the sustenance to help them get ready for the winter. After the first round of distribution, the staff will then follow up and decide on the next steps to help more people.
It was thanks to MEPO’s donors and their immediate response that we were able to collect nearly $15,000 to go directly to these families in need in Kabul. We hope to be able to help as many as 5000 people. Although the numbers of people may seem small in the grand scheme of things, for each of those adults and children who receive some food, it means that their existence has been noted, and that they matter in the world.
