The United Nations has released a new humanitarian appeal for food, medicine, and other necessary emergency relief supplies for the millions of Afghan refugees who have fled the Taliban regime and severe drought. The appeal for $584 million is needed immediately from donor nations. The World Food Programme has been designated $188 million of the appeal; that organization is currently the sole provider of food for at least one quarter of the Afghan people. The United States has been providing emergency funds to Afghanistan, but has yet to approach the level needed to meet the demand. Approximately forty percent of the $584 million must be supplied by the US if the current UN appeal is to be answered. Please contact Congress immediately for appropriation of emergency funds to save desperate and starving Afghan refugees–75% of whom are women and children.
“If we are ever going to stop terrorism, we must put an end to the horrific conditions of the Afghan refugees that are its breeding grounds, and that are the source of recruits for the extremist Taliban movement,” says Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “Humanitarian aid is necessary not only to save innocent Afghan lives, but also to cut off the strength of the Taliban and the terrorists.
“We are also encouraging that some US humanitarian funds go directly to Afghan-led humanitarian aid agencies that are servicing women so that they will be in a position of leadership to restore a democracy in Afghanistan.” Join the Feminist Majority Foundation at www.HelpAfghanWomen.com.
