DUSHANBE, June 8, 2009, Asia-Plus — To help residents of Khatlon’s Khuroson district cope with the mudslides that devastated villages in May, the US Department of State Humanitarian Programs Office provided emergency supplies to families left homeless by the unusually heavy rain in April and May, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.
The assistance was provided in response to a request from the United Nations Development Program Rapid Emergency Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDP REACT).
Heavy rains and mudflows in April 2009 affected the villages of 18th Partseyzdi Bolo, 18th Partseyzdi Poyon, and Halkajar, in the Ayni jamoat of the Khuroson district. According to REACT situation reports for April, 17 dwellings housing 141 people were completely destroyed by mud and 34 dwellings for 236 people were damaged and are currently uninhabitable. 1,500 people, from 114 families in all villages have been affected by the mudflows. The majority of the population barely escaped disaster and had to leave behind all personal belongings, including livestock. In May the heavy rains affected 153 houses (88 –fully, 62 – partly) of Khuroson district.
The humanitarian organization Counterpart International, which administers a warehouse of emergency supplies provided by the U.S. Government, released $233,780 of supplies from its stock for three villages in the Khuroson district. The list includes three 26-meter tents, 100 adjustable beds, 160 sleeping bags, 600 bed sheets, 100 mattresses, 200 cots, 500 blankets, 1,000 special medical blankets, 100 flashlights, 100 pails, 10 water containers, and 400 towels.
Counterpart International’s Community and Humanitarian Assistance Program (CHAP) funded by the U.S. Department of State is committed to building strong civil societies in emerging nations by helping to meet the humanitarian and development needs of the most vulnerable members of the society. This Mission was a part of CHAP’s ongoing assistance and support to improve the living conditions of direct recipients of humanitarian aid and the most vulnerable groups of the population.
Through the relentless efforts of trusted CHAP distribution partners, social service organizations, disaster victims and disadvantaged populations of Tajikistan are continuously getting humanitarian commodities from the United States of America.
Since 1965, Counterpart has given people a voice in their own future through smart partnerships, offering options and access to tools for sustained social, economic and environmental development. Supported by the generous U.S. Government grants, Counterpart International provides people access to the tools they need for a life of dignity for themselves, their communities and their countries.
