Afghanistan

CURE's hospital in Kabul is transforming the lives of children with disabilities and their families in Afghanistan through medical and spiritual healing.

•  About the Hospital

  Three decades of war and civil unrest have left Afghanistan’s health care infrastructure woefully inadequate to care for the needs of its population.

  There is a severe lack of trained nurses and doctors, particularly female practitioners, to meet the overwhelming medical needs. The health of women and children is among the worst in the world.

  Recognizing the enormous need—and seizing on a tremendous opportunity—CURE International accepted an invitation from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to assume control of both a partially restored hospital and a nearby outpatient clinic in Kabul in January 2005. By the end of that first year, both facilities were fully operational and serving more than 8,000 patients each month. In addition to providing top quality care, the hospital also offers training programs for doctors and nurses to further elevate the level of care provided in the future. Programs include obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, plastic surgery and general practice.

  Today, CURE International Hospital of Kabul is one of the leading medical institutions in Afghanistan. The hospital represents many things to many people. To expecting mothers, it is a haven where they can safely deliver their child. For children with physical disabilities, it is where they can be made whole. For health care professionals, it is a center of medical excellence where they can receive advanced training and education. For the nation of Afghanistan, it is a source of hope.

  Partnership with the Smile Train

  Since the fall of 2006, in collaboration with Smile Train, CURE has developed cleft lip and cleft palate surgical training programs in most of CURE's hospitals worldwide. These programs not only provide surgery for children but train national surgeons in reconstructive surgery and provide counseling to the families.

  Partnership with Women's Hope International (WHI)

  The CURE Kabul hospital offers an obstetric fistula surgical treatment program that covers the cost of surgery, hospital stay and transportation thanks to WHI. WHI sponsors the treatment costs of all obstetric fistula patients and supports ongoing expansion of outreach and education activities.

  Partnership with the Fistula Foundation (FF)

  CURE Kabul also trains doctors and nurses in complex fistula procedures and surgeries. A major supporter of this training is the Fistula Foundation. Its generosity has enabled CURE Kabul to offer this specialized training.

•  About the Country

  Afghanistan

  

  Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South-East Asia, bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, on the extreme northeast by China, on the east and south by Pakistan, and by Iran on the west. The country is split by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which rise to heights of 24,000 feet. Most of the country is covered by high snow-capped mountains and deep valleys.

  Country Facts

  Population: 29,121,286

  Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

  Nationality: Afghan

  Language: primarily Afghan Persian or Dari and Pashto

  Capital: Kabul

  Percent population under age of 15: 43%

  Years of life expectancy at birth: 45

  Infant mortality (per 1000 live births): 151

  Child mortality (death before age 5): 257

  Per capital health expenditure: $34

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