Warm welcome for PRT; warm clothes for refugees

Photo By Master Sgt. Tracy DeMarco | With a trailer full of donated items sent from the United States, members of the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team travel to the Farah City District V Refugee Camp, home to 150 refugees, Jan. 9, Farah, Afghanistan. The PRT Civil Affairs Team met with the Provincial Director of the Refugees and Repatriation office, Abdul Khaaleq Amini, to transfer the items to him for distribution. The items included an assortment of shoes, winter coats and blankets.  

FARAH PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

01.09.2010

Story by Master Sgt. Tracy DeMarco 

Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team received an instant welcome at the District V Refugee Camp in Farah City, while 150 residents received shoes, winter clothing, and blankets.

The families live in mud structures that are literally less than seven feet tall, some without roofs. So, when the PRT convoy arrived it didn't take but a moment for the refugees to gather and greet the Americans.

With a trailer full of donations, the PRT Civil Affairs Team met with Abdul Khaaleq Amini, the Provincial Director of the Refugees and Repatriation office, to organize the distribution of 26 boxes of items sent from the United States.

To reside in the camp, refugees must register with Amini at the Department of Refugees and Repatriation across the street from the Economy Office within Farah City.

"The number of families living here is unclear," said Amini. "There are always families moving out and others moving in, so it's hard to keep track."

Each family has a unique story that brought them to this camp.

Alima has four sons, three daughters, and a disabled husband. They moved to Iran sometime after the Taliban came into power, leaving their home in Khoormalakh, Delaram District, Afghanistan.

Three years ago, Alima and her family returned to Afghanistan and they have been living in the District V Refugee Camp ever since. To increase her family's income, Alima spends the equivalent of two U.S. dollars in Afghan money for sewing supplies, which she uses to create blankets that she in-turn sells for four dollars downtown.

Khaylo, the refugee woman sitting next to Alima in the line waiting to receive donations, said she has no husband and only one son, so she cleans houses for a wage approximating one U.S. dollar per job. Khaylo has lived in the camp for two years now.

Both women said they feel safe living in Farah.

Once the refugees formed a line, Amini, with the help of two Afghan national police officers and several camp elders, sorted the winter coats, shoes and blankets into neat piles. The American Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen stood back and watched the Afghan men personally carry items to each refugee, whether man, woman, or child.

"This is exactly what should happen," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeromy Shoell, a member of the PRT Civil Affairs Team. "The Afghan people need to see their own government officials actively helping them."

• Date Taken: 01.09.2010
• Date Posted: 01.14.2010 04:26
• Story ID: 43804
• Location: FARAH PROVINCE, AF