Naseema finally got a tent

Naseema, 9, had been living for five months under a sheet of plastic when winter arrived last year. The family managed to move into an insulated tent provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) before the bitter cold set in. Now once again, winter is threatening people forced to flee.

On a patch of barren ground in the north-west of Afghanistan, thousands of families had settled in a cluster of tents.

"Before we were displaced by the drought, we were doing fine. We had enough food, and we stayed warm throughout the winter. Life as a displaced person is incredibly hard. We’re suffering," said Gul Ghotay, and pulled the green blanket tighter around herself. When we met the family last year, they had survived another bitterly cold night. During the night, the temperature dropped to 0C.

"I’ve lived like this for five months now, with my son and two daughters. My husband died five years ago," Gul told us.

From right to left: Naseema, 9, Gul Ghotay's second daughter and Naseema's friend Latifa (in blue) inside their makeshift home in Feristan IDP settlement. PHoto: NRC/Enayatullah Azad — FRIENDS: Gul’s daughter Naseema, 9, and her friend Latifa (left) have survived yet another bitterly cold night. Now they are looking forward to moving into a properly insulated tent. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

Deadly cold

The Ghotay family was one of thousands of families who left their homes in northern and western Afghanistan last year because of drought. As harvests failed and livestock died, rural families saw their livelihoods destroyed. They were forced to move to the larger cities to survive.

Many had left behind or been forced to sell almost everything they owned as they fled. Now, winter was coming, and cold and disease had already claimed their first victims.

Read how the Ghotay family got a new tent from the Norwegian Refugee Council

Gul Ghotay puts her finger prints at the bottom of paper to receive a tent from NRC in Qala-i-naw.

Gul Ghotay, a widow lives with her two daughters and a son in Feristan IDP settlement. Her husband died five year ago. Her oldest son is separated and living in Herat with his family. Her second son has become an opium addicts and she doesn’t know about his fate anymore. Zalmay, 17, her youngest son and her lost hope has been affected with Tuberculosis TB in the settlement. The family was living in substandard makeshift home in the river bed of Feristan settlement.

Though Zalmay is suffering from Tuberculosis, but he is the only breadwinner for his family of four. He has recently started selling sandwich in the market.

“we weren’t bothered by heat neither were we cold in our village. We are suffering all the time since we have been displaced. My son was healthy and now he coughs for hours or sometimes he brings out all his clothes and the other time he feels cold and asking me to put all the blankets over him. He acts weirdly and sometimes he doesn’t want to eat for days. The doctors say he has to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and chicken meat, but the problem is that where can I get those all for him?”

“The doctors in Badghis told us to take him to Herat. We didn’t have enough to take him there. So I borrowed 10,000 AFN (Approx. $140) from my brother and took him there. The doctors give him some medicine and asked to visit them frequently. Now I don’t have enough to take him in Herat or buy him medicine."

Zalmay, 17, is infected with tuberculosis in Feristan IDP settlement where he and his family lived for over five months.

“I felt pain in the chest at the beginning and then was coughing. I didn’t tell my mom unless it got worst. I went to doctor and the doctors said I have been infected with tuberculosis. They gave me medicine for two months and asked me to visit them again. There have not been any changes or progress in my health. I still feel pain in my chest and coughing up blood.”
Photo: NRC/Enayatullah Azad — Gul Ghotay, a widow, is illiterate and signs using her fingerprints to get on NRC’s distribution list for a new tent. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

Help with registration

Last year, Gul visited NRC’s office and warehouse near the camp.

"I signed using my fingerprints because I’ve never been taught how to read or write," she explains. “It wasn't long before the tent arrived at the camp.”

LOGISTICS: NRC staff ensure that the tents are distributed and set up correctly. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

The delivery truck arrived in the camp, and NRC staff immediately began unloading the tents.

NRC shelter advisor, Miriam Lopez, and team are on site busy demarcating the new location for the IDPs in Feristan2 settlement. The team assessed the suitability of the site for the IDPs and were just also creating more space for each family to have their tent home based on the agreed global criteria. Since many families use fire wood and another flammable material to keep themselves warm during the winter the team is also trying to create more space between the tents to prevent them from burning. Photo: NRC/Enayatullah Azad — THE TENT EXPERT: NRC's shelter adviser, Miriam Lopez, and her team prepare the ground for the new tents. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

NRC’s shelter adviser, Miriam Lopez, and her team marked out the ground for the Ghotay family’s new tent.

"Our team assesses the ground and also makes sure there’s enough space between the tents to minimise the risk of fire. The families use open fires for cooking and heating," Lopez explained.

Families are erecting tents in Feristan IDP settlement donated by NRC with support from ECHO. The Family Tent has 16 m2 main floor area, plus two 3.5m2 vestibules, for a total area of 23 m2, double-fold with ground sheet to house an entire family of eight. This family tents have a life span of 1 year, minimum, maintaining its sheltering and waterproofing capacities in all types of climates.
Photo: NRC/Enayatullah Azad — GOOD NEIGHBOURS: Families and neighbours help each other set up the new tents. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

Gul was directed towards the location where her new tent was to be set up. Her neighbours helped to assemble it, and soon the brand new white tent was ready, a welcome addition to the ever-growing rows of new homes.

Gul Ghotay, a widow lives with her two daughters and a son in Feristan IDP settlement. Her husband died five year ago. Her oldest son is separated and living in Herat with his family. Her second son has become an opium addicts and she doesn’t know about his fate anymore. Zalmay, 17, her youngest son and her lost hope has been affected with Tuberculosis TB in the settlement. The family was living in substandard makeshift home in the river bed of Feristan settlement.

Though Zalmay is suffering from Tuberculosis, but he is the only breadwinner for his family of four. He has recently started selling sandwich in the market.

“we weren’t bothered by heat neither were we cold in our village. We are suffering all the time since we have been displaced. My son was healthy and now he coughs for hours or sometimes he brings out all his clothes and the other time he feels cold and asking me to put all the blankets over him. He acts weirdly and sometimes he doesn’t want to eat for days. The doctors say he has to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and chicken meat, but the problem is that where can I get those all for him?”

“The doctors in Badghis told us to take him to Herat. We didn’t have enough to take him there. So I borrowed 10,000 AFN (Approx. $140) from my brother and took him there. The doctors give him some medicine and asked to visit them frequently. Now I don’t have enough to take him in Herat or buy him medicine."

Zalmay, 17, is infected with tuberculosis in Feristan IDP settlement where he and his family lived for over five months.

“I felt pain in the chest at the beginning and then was coughing. I didn’t tell my mom unless it got worst. I went to doctor and the doctors said I have been infected with tuberculosis. They gave me medicine for two months and asked me to visit them again. There have not been any changes or progress in my health. I still feel pain in my chest and coughing up blood.”
Photo: NRC/Enayatullah Azad — READY TO MOVE IN: Gul Ghotay and her daughter Naseema, 9, help to set up their new home. A couple of hours later, it’s finished, and the family can finally move in. Photo: Enayatullah Azad/NRC

After five months living under a plastic sheet, the Ghotay family could finally move into a properly insulated winter tent.

Each tent is 23 square metres in area and has enough space for a family of up to eight people. The tents are waterproof and insulated with double walls and quality flooring. They have a minimum life of one year.

This story was first published in November 2018.