A crisis on top of a crisis

Afghanistan's children have endured decades of conflict and suffering. Nearly three years since the Taliban regained control in Afghanistan, conditions for children and their families are even more catastrophic.

A perfect storm of climate disasters, a severe economic crisis and the collapse of essential services have led to one of the worst food crises ever recorded. Now, the recent flash floods and torrential rains in Northern Afghanistan which have killed at least 200 people and left about 40,000 children without a home present a crisis on top of a crisis.

These devastating floods comes as the country is already enduring its worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory. Unprecedented levels of hunger and malnutrition combined with the worst drought in 30 years and a crippling economic crisis have left 2 out of 3 people in need of assistance. 3.2 million children under 5 are currently facing acute malnutrition.

It’s a humanitarian catastrophe.

Families are taking desperate measures to survive. Parents are withdrawing their children from school and sending them to work. In some extreme cases, children are being sold to cover debts or to buy food for other children in the family. It’s a heart-breaking dilemma for parents but they are left with little choice.

We have been helping children in Afghanistan for over 40 years. We won't stop now. Donate to help children living in crisis.

Sima* (7 months) is screened for Malnutrition by a Nutrition nurse at Save the Children's Mobile Health Clinic.

Zeba* (20) is a mother of four children who lives with her in Afghanistan and is suffering because of the worst hunger and malnutrition crisis on record that hit the country, driven by factors such as extreme drought, a decrease in humanitarian funds, and poverty. Zeba’s younger child, Sima* (7 months), needed treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Save the Children’s Mobile Health Team (MHT) clinic. Although Sima* is responding well to treatment, Zeba* still worries about how they can afford food for her other children. Her husband, Hashim* (32), is a labourer and earns 150 AFN [2 USD] daily, which is insufficient for a family of six members. She says they couldn’t afford bread most of the time, and her children go to bed hungry. Atabek Khadim / Save the Children

Life in Afghanistan Since the Taliban Returned to Power

Children in Afghanistan are going hungry. Decades of conflict, poverty and drought have pushed the people of Afghanistan into a humanitarian catastrophe. Read the stories of Afghanistan's hungry children.

Shayesta's* Story

1-year-old Shayesta* lives with her mother Zahida*, her father Khalid*, and her eight siblings in a rural village in northern Afghanistan.

Life is extremely difficult for the family. Zahida and Khalid often struggle to feed their children. There are no jobs in their village, so Khalid travels to the closest city to find employment, but it is often unreliable. Most days the family survive on tea and bread alone.

“Our biggest problem in life is a lack of food, water and bread. If there is no bread, people will die of hunger. If there is no water, on these hot summer days, people will die from thirst. All people rush to wells for water - they even fight over the water.” said Khalil*

Afghanistan is experiencing the worst drought it has seen for 30 years which has caused crops to fail, livestock to die and put food and water further out of reach for children and their families.

The Save the Children Mobile Health Team visit the family’s village once a week, providing primary, newborn and maternal healthcare, nutrition and mental health services. Thanks to these doctors, Shayesta is now being treated for malnutrition.

Our work in Afghanistan

We have been working in Afghanistan since 1976 to deliver life-saving services to children and their families.

Since August 2021, Save the Children has been scaling up its response in Afghanistan to support the increasing number of children in need.

We’re delivering health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene and food security, and livelihood support.

Save the Children’s Emergency Fund has allowed Save the Children to continue providing life-saving healthcare for children and their families when they need it most.

Donate today to help us provide life-saving aid to children in Afghanistan and around the world.

Related

Nine children killed by a single landmine in Afghanistan

Nelab*, 22, lives with her extended family, 11-month-old daughter named Parsto*, and two-year-old son named Mohammad* in a remote community in the Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan. Their mudbrick home sits on the side of a hill overlooking a large dry riverbed. The nearest health facility is a six-hour walk from their community. Nelab*s family survives on farming and has been hit hard by Afghanistan’s worst drought in decades. Nelab* says that there has been very little rain and that even if they plant something, nothing ever grows. She says that the price of food has increased as a consequence and now they can only afford one meal a week – normally soup without meat – and the rest of the time they eat bread. Nelab*s children have all suffered from severe acute malnutrition. Her three-year-old daughter, Maryam*, tragically died because she was so weak from hunger. Save the Children’s health workers discovered Maryam* on the first day they started a mobile clinic in Nelab*s community. They organised for her to go straight to the hospital, but she died on the way. Looking forward, Nelab* dreams of enrolling her two children in school. She hopes that Mohammad* and Parsto* won’t have a life like hers. With support from the European Union (EU), Save the Children has been treating Nelab*s two children, Parsto* and Mohammad* for malnutrition at the mobile clinic, which visits their community regularly. Mohammad* has now recovered, but Parsto* is still severely malnourished and is being treated with therapeutic peanut paste, which provides malnourished children with essential vitamins, minerals, and calories to help them survive and recover. Parsto* will be closely monitored each week and if she doesn’t improve, Save the Children will refer her for higher level care. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

9 FACTS ABOUT SAVE THE CHILDREN’S WORK IN AFGHANISTAN
CH1582025.jpg

Anonymised photos of children living in Afghanistan, to be used in communications from August 2021.

AFGHANISTAN: Price hikes push food out of reach for millions of children
A Save the Children community-based classroom in Afghanistan

Save the Children is running more than 3,300 community-based education classes across Afghanistan to support children who don’t have access to formal schools. These classes don’t only develop children’s numeracy and literacy skills, they also offer a place of refuge, which is critical for children who have faced traumatic experiences in this crisis. We’re also providing classes specifically tailored for visual and hearing-impaired children and accelerated learning classes to help those who have missed out on months or years of education, to catch up. Girls in Afghanistan have missed out on millions of days of learning since the Taliban took control in August 2021. According to an assessment conducted by Save the Children in November and December 2021, nearly 40 percent of girls aged 10-18 were out of school, compared to 25 percent of boys. It’s estimated that almost 8 million school-aged children need support to access education right now in Afghanistan - an increase from 2.6 million compared to last year. Insecurity, poverty, cultural traditions, poor infrastructure, inadequate learning materials and a lack of qualified female and male teachers are continuing barriers to children accessing education. Save the Children and other organisations are working hard to equip schools and teachers, but the needs are huge, and more support is urgently needed to help children stay in school. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

"Shocked, outraged, heartbroken" - The ban on female aid workers in Afghanistan