EU allocates 150,000 euros to help Afghans affected by cold wave

The European Union announced Friday it has allocated 150,000 euros (over 11 million Afghanis) to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to families affected by the extreme cold temperatures that hit Afghanistan in early March.

This EU funding was channelled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help deliver vital relief items to around 11,200 people in some of the most affected provinces, including Badghis and Kunduz, EU said in a statement.

They included warm clothes and footwear; multipurpose cash grants to help the most affected people meet their daily basic needs; as well as kits containing menstrual pads, soap, underwear, toothpaste and toothbrush, and other essential hygiene items for women and girls.

At least 70 people died and more than 14,000 were affected in several high-altitude provinces in Afghanistan that experienced heavy snowfall and extreme cold temperatures since the beginning of March, according to the statement.

With temperatures plummeting to as low as minus 33 degrees Celsius, over 70,000 livestock perished, stripping households of their source of income. The snow also damaged nearly 1,500 homes and blocked main traffic roads, making it difficult for people to travel to buy their necessities, the statement added.