Beyond Urgent Relief and Food Items, Supporting Herat Earthquake Victims to get to sustainability

Aseel is a Technology Platform (Mobile app and websites) that has supported humanitarian response in Afghanistan since August 2021, Aseel responded swiftly to the Herat earthquake and provided direct humanitarian relief on site. The startup now has started the process of identifying those affected by the earthquake by providing them Omid ID cards and creating a long-term plan for the beneficiaries to get back to sustainability.

Kabul, 12October, 2023

Aseel, through this decentralized aid program is working with partners to identify beneficiaries, provide direct urgent humanitarian support and further put them in a plan to get sustainable support including cash transfers for 6 months to support the victims get back to a sustainable livelihood.

Direct-Aid Beta is an evolution of our successful decentralized aid platform, which has distributed urgent food and humanitarian aid to over half a million people since August 15, 2021. Our latest enhancements include Omid ID cards that is used to identify beneficiaries and get basic household information, the Atalan network that works like uber-eats is a delivery mechanism that uses local community members to send direct aid from local markets, and a commitment to transparency and accountability. These improvements are designed to ensure a streamlined and efficient experience for all our users.

There is a stark difference between the needs in the ground and what the international community is providing to the families affected. The amount of food items dispatched to the site compared to the longer term needs of the community are at a mismatch so instead of focusing on providing redundant aid packages, Aseel is identifying families, providing them with an urgent cash that is required to help them survive and further provide victims with a 6 months program that partner organizations can use to disseminate direct assistance and track their progress to sustainable livelihood. The long term cash support program can enable beneficiaries to build their homes and hopefully start a small business.

While the initial tranch of funds are being disbursed for the victims that are identified and provided with Omid IDs, the initiative still lacks key partners that it hopes to onboard in the next two weeks and guarantee a better response that takes into consideration the situation of the victims more seriously than the ability to respond, which unfortunately, seems to be missed by major institutions that are supporting those affected by the earthquake.

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