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Frequently Asked Questions
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How is the United States helping the people of Afghanistan?

President Bush Has Declared a Humanitarian Emergency in Afghanistan
On September 28, 2001, President Bush declared a humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan and authorized an immediate $25 million in emergency refugee and migration funds to assist the work of UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and non-governmental organizations.

The President instructed the Defense Department to prepare for airdrops of food into regions of Afghanistan where displaced persons risk starvation.

The Administration will provide additional U.S.-origin food assistance for displaced persons in Afghanistan and refugees in neighboring countries, including Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian states.

The Administration will make available additional aid (medicines, water and shelter) for vulnerable Afghan people in Afghanistan and those who become refugees in neighboring countries.

President Bush Announced "America's Fund for Afghan Children" on Oct. 11
President Bush asked American children to help Afghan children by contributing one dollar (cash, check or money order) individually or collectively to:

America's Fund for Afghan Children
c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
Washington, DC, 20509-1600.

President Bush said, "We've created a special relief effort that will be supervised by the Red Cross. We are asking every child in America to earn or give a dollar that will be used to provide food and medical help for the children of Afghanistan."

The United States Has Been a Leader in Aid to the Afghan People for Decades
The United States has contributed more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people since 1979, more than any other country. The United States has led the international community's response to the suffering of the Afghan people.

Before September 11, United States assistance to the Afghan people in FY2001 totaled $174 million in food, health care, water/sanitation, and shelter. The U.S. assistance to Afghanistan represents about two-thirds of the total contribution of the international community.

The People of Afghanistan Are Suffering.
Afghanistan has suffered 22 years of war, three years of severe drought, and five years of repressive Taliban rule. Since September 11, the Taliban has made conditions worse for the Afghan people. Humanitarian relief personnel have been subjected to threats from the Taliban. The Taliban regime, which has inflicted suffering on the world by harboring and supporting the terrorist activities of Osama Bin Laden and the al Qaeda network, is now making the Afghan people its latest victims.