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FARAH CITY, Afghanistan – Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah Civil Affairs Team Leader, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Martin, and the senior U.S. Department of State representative in Farah, Ray Sudweeks, led a small team to a returnee and refugee village on the outskirts of Farah City here, Feb. 9. While at the village, the team conducted a site survey with the Farah Director of Refugees and Repatriation, Rahmadin Regiwal, and delivered much needed humanitarian assistance to the people.
Approximately 900 families live within the village that is comprised primarily of returnee families who return to Farah after working in Iran or Pakistan. Regiwal, whose job it is to find and deliver resources to returnees, refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) in the province, has a daunting task in the current economic environment. While many Afghans return home on their own accord, a large portion are forcibly removed from Iran.
Children, parents and teachers in the village came out to greet Regiwal and the PRT members upon their arrival. The students lined up and waited, as patiently as they could, to receive the contents of 15 large boxes of school supplies, children’s clothing and a few toys. Most of the items were provided by friends and family members of the PRT who shipped boxes of goods to Farah to be distributed to the needy in the province. One of the PRT civil affairs team members in attendance, U.S Army Spc. Vance Casebolt, shared his perspective.
“It’s great to be able to go out and give away some of these items to people who really need them,” said Casebolt. “The only unfortunate part is that there isn’t enough to meet every need. Seeing how these young children live provides me with a clearer perspective on what is really important.”
Many of the young returnees attend school in the village in three small tents (approximately 200 sq. ft.) with a large carpet as the only thing between them and the ground. Over 260 students call the tents their school, where teachers do their best to provide a baseline education for students despite not always having the tools they need.
“One of the elders in the village asked us for one big project while we were there – to help fix the road,” said Martin. “I had to tell him that we aren’t focused on large scale infrastructure projects any longer. He told me that it was okay, and that the school supplies we delivered to the children were equivalent to building a road for the village. It was clear that they really needed the supplies we provided.”
The PRT continues to maintain a close relationship with Regiwal who coordinates assistance from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Food Program amongst other organizations to provide services to the people.
“We have a great relationship with the PRT,” said Regiwal. “The people here have tremendous need and I know that the PRT is doing what they can to be an advocate for my office, and more importantly the returnees here in Farah.”
PRT Farah’s mission is to train, advise, and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district, and provincial levels in Farah province, Afghanistan. Their civil-military team is comprised of members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For more information about the PRT them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PRTFRH.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.09.2013 10:57 |
| Story ID: | 101738 |
| Location: | FARAH CITY, AF |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, PRT Farah visits local returnee and refugee village, by LCDR Matthew Stroup, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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