Afghanistan Enlists Muslim Leaders in Fight for Safe Water

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2005 — PSI/Afghanistan is targeting Muslim mullahs and other religious leaders in an unprecedented strategy to promote safe water practices, including the use of PSI safe water treatment Clorin, in a country where 25% of children die before their fifth birthday.

Clorin, developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and marketed by PSI at prices affordable to Afghan families, consists of a bottle of dilute chlorine solution used to disinfect water at point of use. Use of this simple solution reduces diarrhea episodes by 30-50%. In 2004, sales of Clorin averted as estimated 219,000 diarrhea episodes and 656 child deaths in Afghanistan.

In 2004, PSI/Afghanistan realized it was essential to reach religious leaders to convince them of the benefits of PSI's products to their congregations. Mullahs occupy a position of high respect and standing in Afghan communities, both in the mosques and in the wider community. With the assistance of the Afghan Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA), PSI/Afghanistan conducted community trainings with community health workers, male and female Shuras (local community councils) and mullahs. PSI has long collaborated with religious leaders in HIV/AIDS prevention and is now extending that into other health areas.

Mullah Sayed Zia Agha of the Jamal Mosque in Kabul says, "the PSI/Afghanistan safe water mullah education program is the most effective way of reaching the general population. Many people ask me about Clorin as it is the easiest and cheapest way of purifying water." To date, PSI/Afghanistan has trained over 100 mullahs in four different provinces (Kabul, Helmund, Paktia and Takhar) on Clorin use and good hygiene practices. These Mullahs then incorporate these messages into their sermons and conduct neighborhood meetings to convince people of the health benefits derived from the proper use of our products.

PSI/Afghanistan's future plans include training mullahs on the health and economic benefits of effective birth spacing and the prevention of malaria. In addition, other non-traditional members of the community will be targeted for PSI/Afghanistan's key health messages and behavior change communications. Teachers are of prime interest since they occupy a unique position in reaching both children and their care givers.

Diarrhea treatment products, such as zinc tablets and oral rehydration salts, are planned to be introduced in 2005.

— Andrew Miller, PSI/Afghanistan