October 6, an acknowledgement event was held at the Ministry of National Defence, representatives of the 12th shift of the Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team and PE „Savanorių centras" thanked for participants of the campaign „Warm hearts - warm feet" who knitted socks for children of Ghor.
Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė, participants and organizers of the campaign will take part in the ceremony.
The campaign that lasted from June to October triggered active involvement and support of Lithuania's society: Lithuanian Senior Citizens Association, Panevėžys Women's Workhouse, relatives of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion (on training before deployment to Afghanistan with PRT-12), and other kind-hearted people produced around 1500 pairs of stockings to give to children of Ghor with support from knitting and thread production enterprises.
Ghor is one of 34 provinces of Afghanistan situated in the south-west of central Afghanistan. Capital of the province is Chaghcharan.
Ghor is the poorest and underdeveloped province of the country worn out not only by long-drawn wars and natural disasters but also armed conflicts between local tribes that has not come to an end yet.
Women and children are the most vulnerable part of Afghanistan's society.
Winters (November-March) are particularly severe and snowy in Afghanistan. Lithuanian peacekeepers after deployments in ISAF mission told that frequently families lack income to buy worm clothes and footwear for children. There are numerous children in Afghanistan whose extremities were ablated because of frostbite. The country suffers a huge lack of humanitarian and social assistance.
Last winter a similar charity campaign was organized together with the Lithuanian Armed Forces: the 10th shift of PRT took to children of Ghor winter caps and boots.
PRT-12 will be deployed to Afghanistan in November. The rotation is formed mainly from troops of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Battalion. Together with Lithuanian military personnel PRT includes civilians and military from Japan, Denmark, Ukraine, USA, and Georgia. The key task of PRT is to help Afghan Government extend authority in the province, to ensure security, and create relevant conditions for provincial reconstruction.
Picture by Alfredis Pliadis
