(C) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
This story was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



SCA pauses all activities in Afghanistan – SCA [1]

[]

Date: 2024-03 

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is pausing all its activities in Afghanistan. Support to people with disabilities and rural development have already been paused. We are in the process of handing over our healthcare activities to other organisations. In education, our activities are being handed over to provincial education authorities as part of the IEA’s nationalisation process of the education system.

This is in response to a decree from the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA) which called for the suspension of all “Sweden’s activities” following the burning of copies of the Holy Quran in Sweden. We strongly condemn and distance ourselves from these acts. Desecration of the Holy Quran is an insult to all Muslims around the world who hold this sacred text dear to their hearts, and it constitutes a flagrant attack on the Islamic faith.

SCA has no links to the Swedish government

Due to our name we have mistakenly been perceived as a representative of Sweden. SCA is an impartial organisation with no links to the Swedish government or any other government. We receive funding from a broad range of donors.

We are extremely saddened by the current situation and the effects our suspension will have on the millions of people who have benefitted from our services over the past four decades.

We are also gravely concerned about the future of our nearly 7,000 Afghan employees across 16 provinces. Many of them are the sole breadwinners of their families and if they lose their jobs, thousands of families will suffer.

Millions of people affected

Examples of SCA interventions in 2023:

2,5 million patient visits to clinics and hospitals

43,000 acutely malnourished children received treatment

18,000 people with disabilities received orthopedic aids

20,500 people received physiotherapy

6,000 children with disabilities received education

123,000 students attended village schools

SCA was established in 1980 as a solidarity movement, as a reaction against the brutal invasion by the Soviet Union and in support of Afghanistan’s right to self-determination. SCA is independent and impartial in relation to all political stakeholders and states. For over 40 years, SCA has been working in close collaboration with the rural population and in deep respect of both Islam and local traditions in Afghanistan.

We remain committed to supporting the Afghan people and will do our utmost to find ways to continue supporting the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan: women, children and people with disabilities. We are seeking dialogue with the IEA to find a solution to the current situation and to ensure that the needs of our target groups are met.

نسخه دری بیانیه در اینجا قابل دسترس است

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://swedishcommittee.org/sca-pauses-all-activities-in-afghanistan/

Published and (C) by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Content appears here under this condition or license: By permission of RFE/RL.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/rferl/