Embassy, nonprofits
host charity bazaar for landslide victims
2014-06-08 20:51
The Afghan Embassy in South Korea cohosted a charity
event with a number of local nonprofits in Yeouido, Seoul, on Friday to raise
money for families affected by a massive landslide that struck the Central
Asian nation in early May.
Dubbed the Hope Sharing
Bazaar, the event was cohosted by the Korea-Afghanistan Friendship Association
and Nutrition, Education, International (NEI) at Yeouido Middle School.
More than 4,000 villagers
were displaced by a massive landslide on May 2 that struck the village of Aab
Bareek in Badakhshan state, northern Afghanistan. The landslide reportedly
buried 300 homes in about 50 meters of mud, reportedly burying some 2,000
people alive and leaving nearly 700 other houses uninhabitable.
Much of Aab Bareek was
engulfed by a fast-moving tide of mud and rock that swept down on to the
village, leaving almost no trace of the 300 homes. A major international aid
effort swung into action, with government and United Nations officials
estimating the death toll from 300 to as high as 2,500, according to media
reports.
“I believe this
charity bazaar will be a big support for the victims of the landslide in
Afghanistan. The funds raised today will be used for the Afghan victims,
providing monetary aid, food and clothing,” Afghan
Charge d’Affairs to South Korea Abdul Bashir Pazhwak
said during Friday’s charity drive. “In addition, this event will strengthen the relationship between
Afghanistan and South Korea, and improve the ties between our two nations.”
The profit from the
bazaar in Seoul will be used to assist 4,000 displaced villagers, according to
an embassy official. The Afghan government and emergency relief groups are
still conducting aid work in the area.
At the bazaar were
products from Cafe J Brown, a premium dessert store; All for You, a leading
sports apparel brand; Rattul, by designer Cho sung-kyung; Laon Shopping; and
the Cambodia Multicultural Community in Korea.
“The NEI as a
relief organization and the KAFA have been working in the fields of nutrition,
health, education and self-reliance for women and children suffering with
poverty, famine and war for more than 10 years,” the
embassy official said.
“This bazaar is
especially for those having difficulty due to the landslide,” said an official of the NEI, which is affiliated with United
Nations World Food Program, according to a press statement released by the
Afghan Embassy.
