Kapisa is a province to the north of Kabul. It is a much under served area, which has seen much fighting over the past 24 years. Although during the spring water is evident in the canals and in the fields, as soon as the rainfall stops, this water dries up, leaving limited available water for irrigation and also for household consumption. As a result there are conflicts over water rights, crops fail, and there are many water-borne and other preventable diseases found within the community.
The project in kapisa seeks to address a number of different aspects at the same time. During this year we have built 1000 latrines in three villages around the provincial capital of mahmud-e-raqi. This has enabled people to use good sanitation facilities, and the products of this, if dried properly can be used in the fields as ‘mulching’. This reduces water loss and return nitrogen in a safe way back into the soil, without contaminating the water supply. The construction of 30 wells has also begun. These will be hand-dug wells, 40m deep, which should provide water all year round to these communities, and enable them to have drinking water near at hand.
Many of the illnesses within the community are preventable and so training about the proper use of latrines is one aspect of our work, alongside this training is also given in basic health and hygiene. Women are taught how to make a rehydration solution so that when children become ill, they do not dehydrate which is a common cause of death amongst small children.
Disaster Preparedness is a large part of this project. This community has faced many disasters over the years, and so we work with men and women in the communities to assess where they are weak in the community, and how they can make themselves less vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes and floods. In this way we seek to help these communities plan for the future, and to reduce the risk of life threatening harm. This would include changes in the way houses are built, the location of the house. It might include improving irrigation canals or weirs to help with water distribution. Women receive training in simple first aid to ensure that if there are any injuries, that they receive appropriate immediate treatment, such as splinting a fractured arm or leg.
There are many widows in Kapisa due to the fighting. A section of this project is a Home Based Industry, involving quilt making for the women. The women make 50 quilts each, receiving the materials and payment for labour, and they keep a small percentage of the quilts that they make for their own use. This gives them some much needed income and food security during the winter period.
It is hoped that further work in this area will continue when this project cycle ends in May 2005.
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