Assessment of Vulnerabilities Faced to IDPs in QARGHA – Kabul

The research is aimed to explore and communicate the vulnerabilities faced to IDPs and their livelihood conditions from the QARGHA camp to the national and international actors. The findings and facts presented in the research thesis are a combination of both primary data and secondary information. The research thesis initially provides a general overview on internal displacement in the country. It mainly focus on the specific types of vulnerabilities faced to IDPs in QARHA camp in terms of access to basic humanitarian needs (food, employment, shelter, water, sanitation, health, and education). The lastly report provides concrete recommendations for improving livelihoods conditions of IDPs settled in QARGHA Camp.

Migration as a livelihood strategy has a long history in Afghanistan and more than three decades of conflict and political instability resulted in large-scale forced migration movements both within the country and to abroad. The internal displacement has recently become most common and critical humanitarian problem in Afghanistan due the persistent armed conflicts, insecurity, natural and man-made disasters and unequal development. As of May 2012, the UNHCR estimated conflict induced IDPs around 396,808 persons corresponding to 62,308 families across the country. Most of the IDPs’ families live in informal settlement. The number of new conflict-induced IDPs has been rising steadily since 2009 (80% of the total reported conflict-induced till 2012).

There are 850 IDPs families with estimated number of 8415 individuals informally settled in QARGHA area which are mainly displaced from Helmand as well as Kandahar and Orzgan provinces. They have been displaced here for over five years due to insecurity and armed conflict between IMF-US force and insurgent group of Taliban. They have come to Kabul looking for a viable place to live, but unable to pay the high rents in Kabul, they put up tents and mud-made-hut on a ground in QARGHA of District-5 of the Kabul province. The IDPs selected Kabul (Capital of the Country) for the displacement because of the relatively better security and access to services and livelihoods opportunities.

The IDPs settled in QARGHA camp often existing on the margins of society, lacking basic protection and assistance, including inadequate access to food, water, shelter and health care and social safety. Many have also been dispossessed of property, are unable to generate incomes, and are denied basic education. They have received humanitarian assistants provided by the Government agencies, humanitarian organization, local NGOs as well as local rich people as charity, which was not sufficient in 80% of case. The assistances had been significantly reduced or even stopped for the last one year and exposing them to different types of shocks.

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