EQUALITY for Peace and Development (EPD) with the support of Embassy of Canada has launched the project “Preventing the spread of Covid-19 through awareness raising, advocacy and mobilization of religious leaders, community elders and women activists” in Herat and Kandahar cities.

Herat’s close proximity to the Islamic Republic of Iran – which was an epicenter for the spread of the COVID-19 during March, put the province at a heightened risk with tens of thousands of people crossing the border on daily basis. Similarly, Kandahar shares border with Pakistan and thousands of Afghans returned from Pakistan through the Chaman border. The returnees, some surely infected with the coronavirus when in Iran and Pakistan, clustered shoulder to shoulder in massive crowds on both sides of the crossing, where basic hygiene facilities are scarce. This massive influx from Iran and Pakistan to the cities of Herat and Kandahar made people vulnerable to COVID-19 at the community level. The cases of COVID -19 are high in number in these two provinces. It is therefore important to raise awareness on the preventive measures of COVID-19 in these provinces.

Here is a Press Release link.Press Release