Nangarhar, Afghanistan — April 20, 2009 — On the night of April 17, 2009, an earthquake shook Sherzad District of Nangarhar province leaving more than 75 injured, and 27 dead. The earthquake affected 145 families (990 individuals) from the villages of Toto and Ashpan along Road 6 of IRD’s USAID funded Strategic Provincial Road – Southern and Eastern Afghanistan Program (SPR-SEA). In response to requests from the Community Development Councils (CDCs) of Toto and Ashpan; and President Hamid Karzai’s plea for relief from international relief agencies, the IRD SPR-SEA team quickly organized a relief effort for families in our project area. 

On April 20th, as immediate relief, IRD in coordination with Sherzad District Authority, District Development Assembly, Tribal Shuras elders and CDC members distributed layette kits, jackets, clothes, blankets and quilts to families from the affected communities as well as school kits to children from the area.  The items are a result of a generous donation by Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and are part of a larger donation of items that LWR has entrusted IRD to distribute to the people of Afghanistan.

Many of the affected families have lost most of their possessions in the earthquake and are unable to return to their homes as they are structurally unsound.  As a result, victims of the earthquake are sleeping in tents or makeshift shelters set up next to their damaged homes.  The delivery of these items help community members addresses their immediate needs.

The Community Outreach and Capacity Building Unit (COCB) of SPR-SEA will continue to work with the communities to identify ways SPR-SEA can use its community based grants program to help the villages recover from the disaster.

The IRD Strategic Provincial Roads in Southern and Eastern Afghanistan (SPR-SEA), funded by USAID is constructing roads which spans over twelve Provinces, covering 1500 to 2000 Kms.  IRD is building 3 such roads in Nangarhar Province of Eastern Afghanistan.