In Afghanistan, extreme weather and natural hazards place more than half of Afghanistan's  population under serious threat and a failure to adapt quickly enough to climate change is increasing the incidence of disasters. In mountainous villages like Miami Qad in Bamyan, floods and avalanches destroy livelihoods on a yearly basis. Afghanaid leads the Afghanistan Resilience Consortium (ARC), a partnership with Save the Children, ActionAid, Concern Worldwide and the United Nations Environment Programme, in a project to strengthen the resilience of communities against natural disasters. 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                       

The ARC set up a community-based disaster management committee in Miami Qad through which villagers have been given practical knowledge, training and equipment, enabling them to better prepare for and respond to disasters. Our ARC partner trained committee members like Mahboba (above) to map potential floods, avalanches and other disasters affecting their village so that they could better plan and take measures to reduce the risks.

Members of the community like Abdul Khaliq (below) came together to construct flood-protection walls to ensure that the damage was reduced and that people were safe. Following the avalanches this year, the community worked together to clear the roads of snow and ice so that the village was not cut off from the market and closest town.

 

  

 

  

     

                                     

Our ARC partner also supported the community to plant apple trees to revitalise their flood-damaged soil and help families like Abdul’s to develop orchards and build more resilient livelihoods. Abdul's family can now grow enough good quality apples to sell at the local market, which is providing his family with a vital source of income.

While the agricultural lands are threatened the most in Miami Qad, the villager’s houses are also damaged by the flood waters. The Committee has helped the villagers to protect their homes by digging trenches to halt the surge of melt-water and redirect the water elsewhere.

Find out more about how we help communities to reduce the risks of disasters.

I want to help vulnerable families prepare for natural disasters.