Help Families in Afghanistan and Worldwide

Today, the IRC continues to work with trusted partners across at least nine provinces in Afghanistan—with Afghans making up more than 99% of our staff in the country—to expand our distribution of cash and basic emergency supplies, expand healthcare, build safe water supply systems and sanitation facilities, and protect the most vulnerable.

The IRC is providing emergency assistance for those most affected across the entire arc of crisis—in Afghanistan, in countries providing refuge, and in the United States. We support an integrated response: responding urgently to rapidly changing contexts and work across every aspect of our clients’ lives–restoring health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and meaningful measures of self-determination.

Our Response in Afghanistan:

HEALTH: Since September, we have supported 66 health facilities, enlisted over 2,000 community health volunteers, and trained 155 health workers and 148 community and religious elders to carry out critical health interventions. Over the coming months we are working to reach at least 50,800 people by providing medicine and medical supplies, delivering mobile health services, offering mental health services, and helping mothers deliver babies safely.

WATER AND SANITATION (WASH): Since September, we have installed 200 hand-washing stations in 100 schools, provided more than 8,600 families with clean water kits, and informed more than 18,000 clients to prevent disease. Over the coming months we are working to reach 460,400 people by improving access to clean water in schools, health facilities, and communities.

PROTECTION: The IRC is undertaking multiple interventions to ensure at-risk individuals are better protected from violence and harm and can recover in safe and dignified environments, such as providing case management resources, expanding information services, empowering women with informational family safety sessions, and protecting at-risk children.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: Since December we have empowered over 1,170 farmers—and 3,100 households—with emergency cash assistance. Building on the IRC’s response to the 2018-2019 drought, we have begun a three-pillar strategy centered on cash assistance for agriculture and female poultry farmers as well as business skills training and cash grants. The strategy aims to improve incomes and access to regenerative assets through agriculture-focused livelihood restoration and development in drought and conflict-affected communities.

EDUCATION: Schools have been shuttered and access to education continues to deteriorate for students across Afghanistan. High levels of internal displacement—coupled with the government’s inability to pay teacher salaries—threaten long-term alienation from learning for millions of children. This month, the IRC will start Access to Equal Education programming in Khost and Logar provinces to provide more than 4,800 primary school-aged children (6 to 14 years), teachers, parents, and targeted communities with safe spaces for learning.

WINTERIZATION: From December to February, millions of people uprooted from their homes in Afghanistan faced blistering winter conditions, with temperatures dipping below -12 degrees(C). To date, the IRC has provided approximately 84,000 people with emergency winter assistance to keep warm across nine provinces. Prioritizing female-headed households and other vulnerable families, we have offered cash to purchase heating equipment, warm clothing, and other survival essentials.

Your support continues to fuel the tireless work of the IRC staff under extraordinarily difficult circumstances to sustain lifesaving services to Afghan families impacted by violent upheaval, while organizing critical support for those seeking asylum in other countries. By supporting the IRC, you are helping us to address rapidly changing needs among crisis-affected families in Afghanistan and those seeking refuge across the globe.

Links:

• Learn about the IRC's vital support to Afghans