Author: Sayed Hussain Hussainy

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from March 16 to March 31, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.Situation Overview: Covid-19 New Update:During this period, the official report indicates several new positive tests, recoveries, and deaths. Due to a weak health system and mismanagement, however, more people prefer home-based treatment. As a result, it has made it difficult to track the exact numbers of positive cases.Following the conduct of Covid-19 vaccines in Afghanistan, concerns are mounting over the safety of the Covid-19 doses which has discouraged the population to test. The first unconfirmed case was reported from Bamiyan in which a medical worker died shortly after testing the Indian donated Covid-19 vaccine. It is not yet clear whether or not the Indian AstraZeneca’s donated vaccine has caused the death. To address the public concerns, the government needs to enhance awareness and to ensure the safety of the vaccines.Challenges in implementation of Datarkhan-e-Melli: Bamiyan province:Following the Dastarkhan-e-Melli program, the reports confirmed serious mismanagement and lack of transparency in aid distribution to the needy families in Bamiyan province. According to CSHRN’s focal point in Bamiyan, Dastarkhan-e-Melli program is undermined by the following problems in Bamiyan:Low quality food packages have been distributed to the families covered by the program. Based on findings, the food packages assisted had low quality such as bitter flour, burnt beans, spoiled rice and cooking oil.Food packages have been distributed to families associated to Mr. Ansari’s relatives, who is currently advisor to the Second Vice-President.The distribution lists include individuals who, according to report, passed…

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from March 01 to March 15, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.Situation Overview: Covid-19 New Update:During this period, the official report indicates several new positive tests, recoveries, and deaths. Due to a weak health system and mismanagement, however, more people prefer home-based treatment. As a result, it has made it difficult to track the exact numbers of positive cases.In February 2021, Afghanistan received around 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to contain further spread of the pandemic across the country. Before long, the doses have been distributed to several provinces such as Laghman received 5300 doses, Helmand 20,000, Logar 5695, Jowzjan 6170, Paktia 12370, Herat 28880, Bamiyan 2890, Balkh 12500, and Nangarhar 24620 doses. Following the shipment of Indian Covid-19 vaccines to Afghanistan, on March 8, 2021, the country received the second shipment of 468,000 doses of the COVISHIELD Covid-19 vaccines. However, unconfirmed reports from Bamiyan stated that a medical worker died shortly after testing the Covid-19 vaccine. It is not yet clear whether or not the Indian AstraZeneca’s donated vaccine has caused the death.Challenges in implementation of Datarkhan-e-Melli: Bamiyan province:Following the Dastarkhan-e-Melli program, the reports confirmed serious mismanagement and lack of transparency in aid distribution to the needy families in Bamiyan province. According to CSHRN’s focal point in Bamiyan, the internally displaced people from Lal-Sarjangal and Yakawlang districts to the central province have been denied to receive aid packages. In addition, those families who took refuge in Bamiyan following the ongoing armed conflict in the neighboring Wardak province,…

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from February 15 to February 28, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.Situation Overview: Covid-19 New Update:During this period, the official report indicates several new positive tests, recoveries, and deaths. Due to a weak health system and mismanagement, however, more people prefer home-based treatment. As a result, it has made it difficult to track the exact numbers of positive cases.During the reporting period, four provinces such as Ghor, Paktia, Khost and Takhar received the donated Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccination process has also started in these provinces. On February 7, 2021, Afghanistan received the first-ever Indian AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.Challenges in implementation of Datarkhan-e-Melli: Kapisa province:Widespread problem is going on to screen the poor households across the Kapisa province and aid packages have been distributed quite unevenly. Families in need have not been identified in advance and according to report, authorities across the villages insist on aid distribution to everyone, both poor and rich, as a national process.In Nejrab district, Dastarkhan-e-Melli has been suspended due to security threats from the Taliban.Takhar province:On February 23, the first round of Datarkhan-e-Melli started in Usta-esa, a village in the center of Taliqan of Takhar province. The program covered 52 families. Before, people received aid packages in Hazarsamoj, Baharak, Khaja-ghar, Dasht-e-Qala, Chah-Ab, Warsaj, and Namak-ab districts.Laghman province:On February 24, Dastarkhan-e-Melli program resumed in two districts of Mehtarlam and Qargha-e in which six councils in Mehtarlam and seven more in Qargha-e district received aid package. More Interviews: Bi-weekly Situation Report No. 4 (February 15, 2021 –…

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from February 01 to February 15, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.Situation Overview: During this reporting period, several new challenges have marred the implementation of Dastarkhan-e-Meli program. In addition, new cases of systematic corruption have also been reported in Covid-19 related budget in certain provinces, which affected public access to health services during the pandemic. More new positive tests of Covid-19 have also been reported during the same period. Below are the challenges related to Dastarkhan-e-Meli and Covid-19 updates.Covid-19 New Update:During this period, the official report indicates several new positive tests, recoveries, and deaths. Due to a weak health system and mismanagement, however, more people prefer home-based treatment. As a result, it has made it difficult to track the exact numbers of positive cases. The chart below shows the official update of Covid-19 relate infection, death, and recoveries.Challenges and Financial Misuse: Ghor province:On February 05, 2021, the Covid-19 Hospital in the capital western Ghor province caught fire as a result of gas cylinder blast. All the medical equipment and documents in the Administrative office and drugstore were burnt altogether. CSHRN’s focal point was not given entrance into the hospital by CHA to observe the scene closely. CHA has the lead of Covid-19 Hospital in Ghor province.Two officials in Covid-19 Hospital in Ghor province have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office for misappropriation of Covid-19 response budget. This corruption scandal has not only cost the population in Ghor financially, but also in delayed access to Covid-19 related medical…

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan.Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from January 15 to January 31, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.Situation Overview: Herat:During the reporting period, people in six districts across Herat province have received aid packages. However, according to CSHRN’s focal point in Herat, several problems have been reported from aid distribution in this province. The problems are summaries as below:In Fajar council from PD 15 of Herat city, the beneficiary lists have been prepared three months before the start of the program. As a result, many poor families who have recently (re) settled in these areas have been left out from aid support.In PDs 10 and 15 of Herat city, some deserving families did not receive aid packages. Instead, the aid packages have been distributed to those families who do not fall under the criteria already set by the Dastarkhan-e-Meli program.In PD 13 of Herat city, some families of Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army were denied aid packages despite their inadequate livelihood. According to the report, they local facilitator in Herat do not clearly understand the project beneficiaries’ criteria set by the Dastarkhan-e-MeliGhor:The Dastarkhan Melli program has been suspended due to threats from the Taliban in two districts of Ghor province, such as Tolak and Shahrak. According to the report by the CSHRN focal point, the Taliban have threatened local facilitators to stop the program, otherwise they will be targeted.Khost:From Khost province, however, systematic and widespread cases of financial misuse and corruption have been reported. According to CSHRN’s local focal point, Provincial Deputy…

Civil Society and Human Rights Network Purpose: This bi-weekly report describes the updates and challenges related to the government’s relief response program, known as Dastarkhan-e-Meli, and health assistance in combating Covid-19 in Afghanistan. Time Coverage: The report covers all the measures undertaken from January 01 to January 15, 2021, by the government in Afghanistan concerning health and humanitarian assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Geographical Coverage: Under this report, the updates from the following sixteen provinces are covered: Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Paktia, Takhar, Laghman, Balkh, Nimroz, Nangarhar, Bamiyan, Jowzjan, Ghor, Kapisa, Helmand, Khost, and Logar. Situation Overview: The outbreak of Covid-19 has had devastating implications on people’s health and livelihoods across Afghanistan. The economic, social, and health conditions created by the pandemic have further exacerbated the situation to protect vulnerable families, many of whom have already been suffering from low income, social, and health crises due to long-standing conflict over the last several years. According to the World Bank data, Covid-19 pandemic increased the poverty rate from 54.5% to 75% in Afghanistan. Those families, who are dependent on daily wages or remittances from Iran and Pakistan, have especially been affected by the pandemic. To cushion its economic implications, in July 2020, the government of Afghanistan initiated its relief package program (Dastarkhan-e-Meli) to help low-income households across the country who have been heavily affected by the pandemic. Yet, since then, concerns have been mounting over irregularities and misuse of the resources under this program. During the reporting period, CSHRN’s focal points from sixteen mentioned provinces have tracked the aid distribution measures by the local authorities and reported several cases of mismanagement and threats by the Taliban. In addition, during the reporting period, positive tests of Covid-19 have also been on the rise in some provinces, mainly in Kabul. Below is…