Humanitarian group provides wheelchairs to hundreds in southern Afghanistan

KANDAHAR -- The Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish aid group also known as IHH, donated wheelchairs to hundreds in southern Afghanistan in October.

IHH, which operates in co-ordination with the United Nations in Afghanistan, distributed wheelchairs among 500 disabled residents in Kandahar, 200 in Helmand and 100 in Nimroz.

Recipients of the wheelchairs included men, women and children, most of whom have lost their legs in Afghanistan's long-running conflict.

The goal is to improve the mobility and presence in society of Afghans with disabilities, said Abdul Hanan Sharifi, an IHH representative.

"Disabled people who have lost their legs in the war and explosions cannot go outside their homes since they do not have wheelchairs," he said. "They have no presence in society and are completely isolated at home."

IHH wants to help Afghans with disabilities leave their isolation, he added, adding that IHH plans to distribute thousands of wheelchairs across Afghanistan.

Most of IHH's assistance is provided to residents with disabilities in remote and deprived areas, said Sharifi.

More than 5,000 Afghans with disabilities caused by the conflict are registered in Kandahar, according to Mohammad Tahir, the director of the Kandahar Department of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs.

Most of them are trapped and isolated in their homes by a lack of wheelchairs, he said.

With the help of international organisations, "the lives of these people will improve," Tahir said.

Wings to fly

Abdullah Khairkhwah, 37, who lost both legs and an eye five years ago in a roadside explosion in Kandahar, was among those who received a wheelchair.

He said his life is much easier now.

"This wheelchair is my arms and legs. With this I can now go out of my house," he said.

"I always wanted to go shopping in the market close to my house, but I was unable to do so. Now I can go wherever I want, thanks to this wheelchair."

"I could not go to the hospital when I would get ill and I have no one at home to help me," he added. "My life was very tough, but now I feel comfortable with this wheelchair."

Afghans with disabilities continue to face challenges in Kandahar and require assistance, he said.

The distribution of wheelchairs among disabled persons has given them new hope, said Hayatullah, 65, a recipient of a wheelchair in Kandahar city.

"The distribution of these wheelchairs is a great help to us," he said. "I am very poor and could not afford to buy a wheelchair."

"Three years ago a bullet hit my leg, and it had to be amputated. I could not go anywhere and was trapped at home," he said. "But after getting this wheelchair, I feel like I got my leg back."

The wheelchair has helped him to reduce his dependence on others to an extent, he said.

Life's challenges

Afghanistan's ongoing economic crisis has made life especially difficult for those with disabilities, many of whom cannot work and must rely on others.

Mohammad Eman Niazi, 42, from Kandahar city, who is disabled and among the wheelchair recipients, said his family -- which includes six children -- has been facing severe poverty in the past year.

Niazi, who lost a leg in an explosion in Kandahar two years ago, used to receive a monthly payment from the Department of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs.

Since last year, however, he has received no assistance.

"I have no source of income since my monthly payment has stopped," he said. "Very little of the international assistance provided to Afghanistan reaches us. I have three sons and two daughters, and none of them can work. Most nights we go to bed hungry."

Niazi said he had to start begging to find food for his children.

"I used to work in agricultural fields and had a good life, but life's challenges started piling up after my disability. I stress myself and wonder the entire day about what to eat for dinner," he added.

Mohammad Khalid Chamto, 29, another Kandahar city resident who received a wheelchair, lost a leg, a hand and an eye in an explosion five years ago in Kabul.

"Economic problems and life's challenges have increased greatly after the monthly payment from the Department of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs stopped," said Chamto, a father of two.

"I have no source of income and don't know how to provide for my family."

"I cry for my situation every time I look at the deprivation and hunger my kids are facing."