By Arj Arjunan
Daily Bruin Contributor
In the cramped headquarters of Relief International on Venice
Boulevard, UCLA students draw up proposals and papers critical to
relief efforts for Afghan refugees and internally displaced
persons.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks and the U.S.-led air strikes,
reacting quickly to the changing needs of Afghan refugees and
internally displaced persons has stretched the capabilities of
Relief International’s 45 volunteers and staff that work in
Los Angeles and international locations.
“Work before Sept. 11 focused on relatively stable
situations in Azerbaijan and Kosovo where we have established
programs,” said Neha Bhandari, a fourth-year international
development studies student. “In Afghanistan, the emergency
is current, and we have to quickly set up new programs.”
Relief International ““ which grew out of an effort to aid
victims of a 1990 earthquake in Iran ““ has moved into
northeastern Afghanistan, setting up a maternal child health clinic
and establishing mobile clinics near the town of Dashte-Qaleh. The
clinics provide antibiotics and basic hygiene supplies to 10,000
internally displaced people.
Since Sept. 11, Bhandari has reviewed more volunteer
applications and focused on writing letters to secure more funding
for field operations.
Nicholas Lusiani, a fifth-year international development studies
and comparative literature student, said the rapidly changing
developments in Afghanistan force volunteers to operate under a
stricter time schedule.
Junko Fujimoto, a fourth-year international development studies
student, said the pace has accelerated.
“Time is critical right now because everything has to be
done as quickly as possible,” Fujimoto said.
She said the success of programs in Afghanistan depends on funds
from private foundations and government agencies. There is a
palpable pressure that results from the weight of the work, she
added.
But student volunteers welcome the direct involvement in
proposal writing, public relations and fund-raising because it
offers preparation for work in the field.
“When it comes down to it, you have to go to countries and
implement these programs in order to relieve suffering,”
Bhandari said.
Proposal writing and fund-raising by student volunteers have
provided critical support for field workers conducting operations
in Afghanistan. Lusiani said field workers relay firsthand reports,
and that volunteers and staff in the L.A. headquarters cannot
adequately address the problems of Afghan refugees and internally
displaced persons without such input.
With Afghan refugees driven from their homes by the ongoing
conflict, Relief International has dispatched about 10 field
workers to evaluate the situation.
Field workers face difficulties as they try to conduct relief
work internationally. Bhandari said Relief International encounters
problems with foreign governments that have suspicions about the
motives of American relief agencies. Securing visas and crucial
government support can be difficult, she added.
She also said communication with field workers in Afghanistan
has been difficult. But the staff in Los Angeles has received
intermittent reports about the conditions from Farshad Rastegar,
Relief International’s founder and chief executive officer,
who is making frequent trips into Afghanistan.
“Kids are dying from starvation and the weather is getting
worse,” Bhandari said after receiving Rastegar’s
reports. “The weather has kept the field staff from entering
Afghanistan by helicopter on some days.”