Project partnersGiving Hands from Bonn and Serve the Nation International from Braunschweig
Project grant from WEA Partnership: 60.000 €
Afghanistan is highly prone to earthquakes due to its geological location. In June 2022, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the provinces of Khost and Paktika. Over 1,000 people lost their lives, and around 4,500 houses were destroyed or damaged.
Between June and December 2022, Serve the Nations International, with support from WEA Partnership and "Gebende Hände" (Giving Hands) from Bonn, carried out three emergency relief operations. These operations provided tents and food to 1,150 families comprising over 8,000 people in six remote villages.
Due to the ongoing housing shortage, Serve the Nations International and WEA Partnership initiated a reconstruction project in Khost province. A project grant of €60,000 enabled 30 families affected by the earthquake to purchase building materials to construct a room with two windows and a door. The families contributed their own labor and materials they had acquired locally. Due to complex permitting processes, the project could only be implemented between January and June 2024.
The project required registrations and permits from several ministries, as well as close cooperation with local authorities and village elders. Despite significant bureaucratic delays, currency fluctuations, and additional requirements, the project was ultimately completed successfully.
The project enabled particularly vulnerable families, some of whom had lived in tents for almost two years, to begin a safe reconstruction and a life of dignity. It improved the quality of life, self-reliance, and hope of families in a region of Afghanistan marked by prolonged hardship.
