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As temperatures dip to record lows in Tajikistan, UN rushes in aid

As temperatures dip to record lows in Tajikistan, UN rushes in aid

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With temperatures in Tajikistan dipping to their lowest levels in a quarter of a century, the United Nations is rushing emergency supplies to over 1,000 desperate refugees there.

Many of the refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, do not have enough resources to heat their homes, prepare food, buy warm clothes and access medical care, according to a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“Their most urgent needs are medicines, warm clothes for children and an increase in their monthly cash assistance as prices have risen dramatically,” William Spindler told a press briefing in Geneva.

As part of UN efforts to support the Government through the crisis, the agency is distributing 130 stoves, 1,500 blankets, 750 jerry cans, 150 tea pots, candles and other basic supplies to the refugees.

This is the second round of distribution since last November, when UNHCR provided blankets, stoves and medical care to the most vulnerable refugees living outside Dushanbe, the capital.