KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has signed five cooperation agreements worth 5 million U.S. dollars with leading domestic and international aid agencies to support returnee and internally displaced families, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The funds will be channeled toward the construction of shelters for returnees and displaced families, cash assistance programs, education initiatives, child protection services, and community capacity-building projects in the above-mentioned provinces, the statement added.
The massive influx of returnees has placed enormous pressure on Afghanistan's already overstretched resources. According to the ministry, a total of 495,398 Afghan refugees have returned home in the past two months alone, the vast majority from Pakistan. ■
