IDPs’ woes: When there are more pressing needs than food

A number of internally displaced persons forced to sell relief items for cash.


Asad Zia February 24, 2013
An internally displaced person from Jalozai Camp carrying relief items. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR:


A large number of displaced people standing in a long queue outside a food distribution point in Jalozai Camp waited for their turn to receive relief goods, only to resell them.


Ashraf Khan was also among them. He was happy to get because after three hours stay at last he was successful to check his registration documents checked before providing relief items from the World Food Organisation warehouse.

He loaded a wheelbarrow with packets of oil, sugar, rice and biscuits but instead of carrying it to a tent where his family lives he went towards a bazaar situated in Jalozai Camp to sell the goods and buy medicines for his daughter who is suffering from a kidney ailment for the last six months.

A large number of IDPS who belong to restive Khyber Agency sell relief items to take care of other needs, most times at throwaway prices.

“I am compelled to sell my share of relief items because my daughter is a kidney patient and needs regular medication,” Khan said.

According to Camp In-charge Noor Akbar Afridi, around 80,000 families from Khyber Agency are registered in the camp while some 14,000 families actually live there.

He said that the IDPs are receiving relief goods from World Food Programme distribution points. Every registered IDP family has been receiving 40kg rice, 5kg sugar, 5kg pulses, 5 litres of oil, four bars of soap and 1kg salt every month.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, another IDP Gulzar Afridi from Bara, Khyber Agency, said he was compelled to sell the surplus food items to meet routine expenses. “The IDPs will not sell relief goods if they could get some cash payment from the government,” Afridi said.

Dilbar Khan Afridi said IDPs like him had to sell relief goods at cheap rates as they needed money for other expenses. He said the IDPs would not have been selling relief goods had they got cash aid from the government or other organisation.

Giving price details, Sajid Afridi said that they sell the items for Rs1,500 to Rs1,800 which are re-sold by shopkeepers for Rs3,000 to Rs3,500.

Wazir Ahmad a shopkeeper said that the IDPs sell the goods and they buy them at a fixed price and then they sell it on profit.

“A large number of people including rich people come here and buy these items because the quality is good,” he said.

Noor Akbar said there was no restriction on selling relief goods, because it was their right to either use them or sell them. Marline, a non-government organisation has established a hospital in the camp and provides medical facilities to IDPs 24 hours.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority spokesman Adnan Khan said the reason for substituting other food items for wheat by WFP was that it took time to mill the flour. The distribution of 80kg flour sacks would be resumed very soon, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.

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