One and a half months ago, the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan. The NGO ‘Handicap International’ remains active in the country with 280 local workers.
On 15 August, the day the Taliban seized power over Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, Belgian national Eric Weerts had no other choice but to leave the country with a heavy heart. Originally from Liège, Weerts regularly travelled to Afghanistan for 20 years, among other things to train physiotherapists. However, this time, he had a different mission. Weerts was there to help Handicap International prepare for the upcoming political change. His goal was to ensure that the NGO’s activities, from re-education to the extremely important support programme, remained as unaffected as possible.
According to Weerts, the 280 workers remained active, and their activities were only briefly interrupted for a few days due to the change of government. Today, the NGO is just as active as it was before the return of the Taliban. Handicap International works in direct contact with the local population, but also the Taliban themselves. The workers keep a close eye on the development of the situation.
Over 40 years of war have left deep scars among the Afghan population. Afghanistan is among the poorest countries in the world nowadays. Around 2.5 million Afghans live with a disability. Among them are victims of bombings, mines, gunshot wounds, or exploding dud bombs. Since mid-August, the situation has reportedly dramatically worsened in numerous areas.
Weerts cites a specific example: Only 17% of Afghanistan’s clinics are currently operating normally. A disastrous situation for people with a disability or those who have sustained injuries. Most people cannot afford private care and depend on public healthcare services. Handicap International’s workers are well aware that this situation will have a huge impact on these patients. Both from a medical point of view and regarding the psychological repercussions.
Handicap International is mainly active in four provinces. The NGO’s teams have the resources to support between 20,000 and 25,000 patients per year. Unfortunately, that is merely “a drop in the ocean”, according to the NGO. It is mainly thanks to the relationships with locals, that have been built over several decades, that Handicap International is able to continue their work even under the rule of the Taliban.
Weerts stresses that the NGO is still able to train new physiotherapists, with 60% of students being women.
30% of Handicap International’s activities are financed through donations. The Luxembourgish government contributes the remaining 70%. According to Mehdi Madgha, the NGO’s director, the cooperation with the government remains “excellent”.
As for Eric Weerts, the Belgian national is already preparing for his next trip to Afghanistan – to continue his support for a people used to keeping a stiff upper lip.
