Children's Emergency Fund

KABUL (Sept. 2, 2025) – Thousands of children are in urgent need of food, water and shelter in eastern Afghanistan as teams battle against time to rescue injured people from mountainous and remote villages destroyed by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, Save the Children said.

Save the Children’s mobile medical teams are working in one of the most severely affected districts in Kunar province, where the death toll so far has reached over 1,400 with another 3,000 people injured, according to the de facto authorities, but those numbers are expected to rise as teams reach more areas.

One team had to walk for over 12 miles to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members.

Medical staff are operating round the clock to treat injuries and to help get people to ambulances that are unable to reach the cut-off villages. There are constant, terrifying aftershocks which have forced families to move into the open, where they are sleeping without shelter and away from homes and buildings that are not built to withstand such tremors.

According to initial UN reports, about 12,000 people – around half of whom are children – have been directly affected by the massive earthquake that struck in the middle of the night on Sunday, with Kunar province the most severely damaged ^[1].

Dr Shaheer*’s mobile medical team was the first to reach some of the devastated villages in Kunar and is working door-to-door to treat injured people.

Dr Shaheer* said: “Due to the road blockages, and as people are desperately trying to rescue their loved ones from under the rubble, they are not able to take injured [people] to the doctor or to our mobile health clinic. There is also no transport to take those with survivable injuries to the hospital. From the morning until 5 pm., we could not find drinking water or food in the area. People are using river water, which is not hygienic. The situation of children is severe. If they do not receive support, children in the earthquake-affected areas will face nutrition, health, and other challenges.”

The massive earthquake has disrupted sources of clean water, raising fears of disease, and restricted access to food. Save the Children is working to get clean water to villages in Kunar, especially in areas unreachable by water tankers, as well as providing emergency medical care and working with partners to assess urgent needs. The humanitarian and child rights organization is also setting up a childcare center to provide crucial mental health support for children.

Samira Sayed Rahman, Programs and Advocacy Director, Save the Children in Afghanistan said: “This is now a race against time to save lives – to get injured people out of remote villages cut off by massive rock falls and to get clean water, food, and shelter in. These mountainous villages are challenging to access in normal times but now many can only be reached on foot, and every hour counts. Families are desperate for help – they are asking our teams on the ground to help bury family members, to treat injured people, to provide clean water and food, especially for children. When houses collapsed, it wasn’t just roofs and walls that were lost – it was food, water, clothes, cooking pots. Everything was destroyed in seconds. The situation for children is critical. Our teams are supporting children, but thousands are in urgent need of help. We are calling on the international community to urgently release emergency funds and prioritize children’s needs in the response. Without immediate and sustained action, children face severe threats to their health, safety, and well-being in the days and weeks ahead.”

Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programs in 10 provinces and work with partners in an additional 11 provinces. We deliver services spanning health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods.

After a deadly tornado swept through rural, eastern Kentucky this weekend, taking lives and leaving nearly 50 miles of destruction in its wake, Save the Children is working to provide critical supplies and support to help children and families hardest hit by the powerful storm.

In coordination with state and local partners, Save the Children is in the process of helping ensure essential, child-focused supplies get into the hands of children and families who need them most in Laurel and Pulaski Counties. This includes supplies like hygiene kits, diapers and wipes, as well as cash assistance to support families’ most urgent needs.

In addition, the global humanitarian organization is assessing the impacts on local child care centers, and stands ready to help restore child care and early learning centers damaged by the storm. Save the Children’s psychosocial team is also equipped to aid long-term recovery efforts by supporting the mental health needs of children and caregivers.

“Many children have been ripped from the lives they once knew, unsure of what the future may hold. It’s critical we get them essential supplies and support to be safe and healthy – and back to their everyday, comforting routines,” said Greta Wetzel, Save the Children’s Senior Psychosocial Support Advisor for U.S. emergencies. “Save the Children has been working in Kentucky for over 90 years and is prepared to meet kids’ immediate and long-term recovery needs in the wake of the tornado, including helping them return to learning and getting mental health supports to cope and heal.”

As a national leader in protecting children in emergencies, Save the Children has been supporting children’s most critical needs in U.S. emergencies since 2005, including the historic 2022 flooding in eastern Kentucky. By contributing to the Children's Emergency Fund, you will help Save the Children protect kids in the United States when disaster strikes.

Save the Children has also been working in Kentucky rural communities since 1932, providing support to children and families most impacted by poverty. Today, this includes leading high-quality early education programs in some of the state’s most impoverished rural communities, to help children succeed in school and life.