Help Families in Afghanistan and Worldwide

Since Afghanistan’s shift in power in August 2021, humanitarian needs across the country have skyrocketed. The speed of Afghanistan’s economic collapse has been unprecedented and ordinary Afghans have paid the price. Poverty impacts more than 90% of the population, with nine out of ten families unable to afford enough food – the highest proportion in the world. Since August 2021, the number of Afghans resorting to negative coping capacities has risen sixfold, such as selling young daughters into marriage, pulling children out of school to work, selling organs, skipping meals, or taking on high levels of debt.  

The IRC is particularly concerned for women and girls. Reports that girls are being turned away from schools across Afghanistan represent a catastrophic step backward for the country. Meanwhile, restrictions that limit women’s access to work, including regulations on dress and restrictions on movement, have led 99% of women-headed households to lose their income and, in turn, they and their families face rising hunger and malnutrition.These restrictions are also contributing to Afghanistan’s failing economy, producing an economic loss of up to $1 billion - about 5% of Afghanistan’s GDP. It is crucial that women are allowed to work and included in every chance to contribute to their local economies - and the survival of their country. 

What is the IRC doing to help? 

Afghanistan is one of the International Rescue Committee’s longest-standing programs, established in 1988. In Afghanistan, the IRC is responding to a triple threat of food insecurity, economic collapse, and the near-total breakdown in public services. Since August 2021, our programs have expanded to 13 provinces where there is an overwhelming need (last year, the IRC delivered services in nine of those provinces).The IRC currently has 4,977 staff members in Afghanistan – 99% of them are Afghan and more than 40% are women. In 2022, more than 50% of the IRC’s services were delivered to women - services which reached some 5 million Afghans. 

Our team’s ability to operate in communities across the country is rooted in our expertise and decades-long presence, gaining a deep understanding of needs.As Afghanistan struggles to recover from ongoing conflict and natural disasters, the IRC works with local communities to identify, plan and manage their own development projects; provides safe learning spaces in rural areas; offers community-based education; distributes emergency cash; provides uprooted families with tents, clean water, sanitation, and other basic necessities; leads extensive resilience programming; and helps people find livelihood opportunities. 

Additionally, in the United States, the IRC provides resettlement and integration services for all refugees, asylum-seekers, and humanitarian parolees, including Afghans. Some of our core U.S. resettlement services include housing; in-kind donations; school enrollment; English language classes; employment services; healthcare; and more. From October 2021 to September 2022, the IRC resettled 11,621 Afghan humanitarian parolees, as well as 2,328 Afghans. 

Read our latest full press release here:https://www.rescue.org/press-release/operational-note-irc-response-ban-female-aid-workers-afghanistan. 

Thank you for your continued support!