Bayat Foundation distributes essential provisions to crisis-hit Kunar residents

As part of their annual winter charity drive, the Bayat Foundation rolled out aid to at-risk families in Kunar province over the weekend.

Each year the foundation provides winter aid to needy families. However, this year, the foundation stepped up its winter aid campaign considerably in order to reach as many desperate families who have been hard hit by the ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.

Over the weekend, hundreds of Kunar residents received much-needed food parcels, which included flour, rice and oil, Bayat officials said.

For the vast majority of Afghans, winter this year has brought with it extreme hardships and with an estimated 22 million people facing severe food shortage, the aid provided by Bayat Foundation has been warmly welcomed by thousands of families across the country in the past two months.

Already, the foundation has distributed thousands of food parcels to more than a dozen provinces in Afghanistan including Kabul.

The foundation’s deputy CEO, Haji Mohammad Ismail, told Ariana News that they distributed the food parcels to at-risk families, which included disabled people, living in Kunar.

“We are continuing our (Bayat Foundation) aid campaign and today we were in Kunar province and distributed foodstuff including flour, rice and oil to deserving and disabled people,” said Haji Ismail.

Kunar officials also welcomed the move and said there were many desperate families in the province.

“We are grateful for the Bayat Foundation aid, and call on them to help at-risk people in Kunar and people across Afghanistan,” said Abdullah Haqqani, deputy governor of Kunar.

Recipients of the food parcels were also very grateful for the supplies and called on other charity organizations to follow suit.

“Bayat helped us, may God reward them. They (Bayat Foundation) always help us, may God reward them,” said one grateful Kunar recipient.

Bayat Foundation’s campaign comes amid an ongoing crisis in the country which is driving up poverty levels. The United Nations warned late last year that as many as 22 million people are going hungry and that a humanitarian crisis is busy unfolding.