Afghanistan Humanitarian Response

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, with the ongoing crisis made far worse by insufficient rain and crop failures. About 24 million people there need humanitarian assistance, and 3.4 million people are displaced. Of the 700,000 people forced from their homes since August 2021, 80% are women and children. CARE is scaling up a comprehensive response to help displaced families and other vulnerable Afghans. We are providing emergency multi-purpose cash assistance, cash for work, medical supplies, mobile health teams, food and agriculture support, household and hygiene essentials, and supplies to help cope with winter weather.

Given the unfolding nature of the hunger crisis, CARE’simmediate humanitarian assistance will prevent women, children and families in countries where severe malnutrition rates are highest from reaching possible famine levels. Simultaneously, we will address fuel and fertilizer shortages and rising costs in as many as 540 communities in countries where farming is becoming cost prohibitive, and families are on the cusp of deeper malnutrition. Countries like Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe are showing alarming declines in access to nutritious food and alarming malnutrition levels. To create a safety net for the future and strengthen less-developed nations’ ability to mitigate crises of this magnitude, CARE will work with the private sector, governments and bilateral donors to access alternate food, fuel and fertilizer supplies, and change the policies and systems that create unstable environments and unfavorable conditions at local, country and international levels. Our comprehensive approach will be adapted to the specific needs and contexts of each country or region and scale up as need and resources warrant. These initial focus countries and communities are ones CARE knows well, where our presence will allow us to act quickly—with a core focus on women, children and vulnerable groups.

• Impact_Fund_2022_report_proposal_5112022_final.docx (DOCX)

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen, as conflict, drought, displacement, COVID-19 and the collapse of the country’s economy push even greater numbers of people into poverty. According to UNHCR, 24 million people in Afghanistan are now in need of humanitarian assistance, and 3.4 million people are displaced. Of the 700,000 people who have been displaced since August 2021, some 80% are women and children. Displaced women and girls are at higher risk of violence, and most women have limited or no access to basic services, such as protection[1], healthcare or education.

With your help, CARE launched a large-scale humanitarian response to help the most vulnerable Afghans face these overwhelming challenges. Our goal is to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood recovery support. CARE’s humanitarian response strategy has three phases, with a $43 million funding target that will allow us to reach 1.8 million people (257,000 households) over three years. We are focusing on nine provinces (Kandahar, Herat, Balkh, Ghazni, Kabul, Kapisa, Khost, Paktia and Parwan) where CARE has an existing presence and offices that are open and functioning. CARE began working in Afghanistan in 1961, and the vast majority of our team are Afghans. We have achieved high levels of acceptance and respect for our work within local communities over many years. Women and girls remain at the center of CARE’s work.

This six-month report provides highlights from CARE’s humanitarian efforts since September 2021.

• Afghanistan_Update_3.31.22.pdf (PDF)