Millions of people in Afghanistan are facing a deepening emergency.     

Rocketing world food prices, caused by the war in Ukraine, severe drought and the Covid-19 pandemic have left an estimated 95% of the population without enough to eat.1   Now, Afghanistan has been hit by a massive earthquake, which has killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands more stranded and destitute.

In recent months, ActionAid and other DEC charities have supported thousands of people through a freezing winter, delivering cash support so families could buy food, heating equipment and other winter supplies. We’ve also been delivering hygiene kits to women in need, including essentials like soap and sanitary pads.  

Now, we urgently need to do more to support people as they face a worsening food and humanitarian crisis. 

Major earthquake in Afghanistan 2022

ActionAid’s emergency teams are responding after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake has killed at least 1,000 people and injured 1,500 in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday 23 June.

Our teams are working with local communities in the Barmal district of Paktika where more than 75% of the houses are damaged.

So far, ActionAid has distributed 200 food kits in the villages and plans to distribute cash to vulnerable families. 

The earthquake is the latest disaster to hit the country which is already affected by political instability, food insecurity, Covid-19, and climate change.

We urgently need your help. Please donate now.
 

DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal: how can I help?

Your gift to the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal can help people in urgent need.

Donation value

£30

could provide blankets for one family of seven for the winter months

£50

could provide emergency food to a family who have lost their home, for 45 days

£150

could provide a winter package with heating equipment for a family of seven

Or choose your own amount to give

£

DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal: ActionAid's response

ActionAid has reached thousands of families in four provinces of Afghanistan - Herat, Kabul, Ghor and Belkh - with emergency support in recent winter months. 

Along with food and cash support, we are providing counselling to people whose lives are being devastated by conflict, severe drought and hunger. 

Now, amid huge global food price increases, 6.6 million in Afghanistan are one step away from famine, with 19 million acutely food insecure.

You can support women in need in Afghanistan

Sara*, 57 is from the Ghor province of Afghanistan and depended on farming to make a living. Her family lost 90% of their wheat crop in 2021 due to drought and were forced to sell off their livestock to survive. 

Sara and her family left their home village and travelled to the capital, Firozkoh. They are struggling to find work and often go to sleep hungry. 

"My family fled our hometown because we did not have enough food to survive there any longer," she said.

"I was afraid of the humanitarian crisis which might result in the death of my family members."

I can manage to buy flour, oil, basic food and heating items with the cash support from ActionAid. This will prevent my family facing hunger and cold. The more you support, the more we can survive."

ActionAid is providing cash support and hygiene kits for women and girls to families like Sara’s in Firozkoh.

Fazul Rahman/ActionAid

About ActionAid

ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.

Our dedicated local staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and fighting poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.

We operate in rural and urban communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We're committed to ending the cycle of violence in communities around the world, enabling women's economic empowerment, and supporting women's and girls' rights during humanitarian crises.

Where your money goes

90% of your donation will go directly to the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.

10% of your donation will be retained for ActionAid’s Emergency Action Fund which will only be used for ensuring we are prepared and able to respond quickly and more effectively to future emergencies and crises.

If the total amount raised for this appeal exceeds the funds needed for the response, ActionAid will transfer the remaining balance to the Emergency Action Fund. All Gift Aid claimed on donations will fund ActionAid’s work across the world, wherever the need is greatest.

Footnotes

  • 1https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/afghanistan-crisis-appeal
Top photo: Haidah* lives with her mother and siblings in an Afghanistan province that is home to many families displaced by the crisis. Arete/DEC *Name changed.

Page updated 27 September 2022