2002 - American Refugee Committee

AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL
More than 3 million people fled Afghanistan
in late 2001 and early 2002, in response to
the Coalition Forces military campaign
against the Taliban regime. Months later, when those refugees were ready to return
home, ARC was there to help. ARC began its operations in Pakistan by providing
basic health care and emergency obstetric services to refugees in the Muhammad
Khail refugee camp in Baluchistan, near Quetta.
More than 40,000 Afghans live in the camp,
with many waiting to move in as others leave.
By mid-summer 2002, ARC expanded health
services to another camp in the region.
Prior to returning home, Afghan refugees are
required to undergo health screenings. ARC
helps them recover from minor illnesses,
provides their children with immunizations,
and gives pre-natal and post-natal care to new
mothers. ARC staff also provides nutrition
supplements to malnourished children.
When funding increased in late 2002,
ARC began training birthing attendants and
midwives, and diagnosing and treating
sexually transmitted diseases. The training and
utilization of local staff is a central part of
ARC’s philosophy: to build the capacity of
refugees to care for their own needs.
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ARC’s services were critical to the survival
of children as they returned to poor health
conditions within Afghanistan. For many
children, this medical attention was their only
opportunity to receive treatment for chronic
ailments such as respiratory tract infections.
Perhaps more importantly, the children that
ARC vaccinated for whooping cough and
measles were protected from the outbreak of
disease that plagued Afghanistan in early 2002.
Many Afghan refugees were unable or
unwilling to make the trip
home. These refugees
remain in the camps in
Pakistan. Some of them
have lived outside
Afghanistan for decades;
many children have spent
their entire lives as refugees. For them, ARC
offers the health care services that are critical
to survival when living in areas beset by
poverty and instability.
Illiteracy is common among Afghan refugees,
making ARC’s health education programs
particularly important. These classes provided
thousands of people with life-saving
information on HIV/AIDS, safe motherhood,
and child nutrition.
2002 MILESTONES
2002 ANNUAL REPORT
Pakistan
• ARC provided medical care to 11,601 returning
Afghan refugees who passed through its
repatriation centers in Quetta, Pakistan.
• ARC staff educated more than 2,000 refugees
on HIV/AIDS prevention.
• In the Muhammad Khail refugee camp, ARC
began providing emergency obstetric services,
labor and delivery care, and outpatient
gynecology services.
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