A girl in Afghanistan is screened for malnutrition using a MUAC band.

Afghanistan

We’ve been providing humanitarian support in the conflict-scarred country for 25 years.

As a war-torn and natural disaster-prone nation, Afghanistan has faced extreme levels of chronic insecurity, internal displacement and widespread poverty.

Communities remain constantly at risk of hunger for a range of reasons, including recurring droughts, seasonal flooding, a lack of infrastructure and limited access to markets. These issues are particularly pressing for vulnerable populations in remote regions.

Millions of Afghans depend on external humanitarian assistance for their daily survival. An estimated four million Afghan refugees live in Pakistan and Iran – a situation that has become more complicated over the past decade with Western military intervention and infighting among armed groups.

Country facts

  • 37m

    Afghanistan has a population of 37 million.

  • 170

    Afghanistan is 170th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index.

  • 40.9%

    More than 40% of Afghan children under five suffer from malnutrition.

Action Against Hunger’s work in Afghanistan

Our team in Afghanistan is recognised for its expertise in health and nutrition.

Action Against Hunger’s programmes include:

  • providing beneficiaries with cash so they can purchase food
  • targeting acutely undernourished children in drought-affected areas
  • deploying mobile health and rapid intervention teams in remote areas that are difficult to access
  • holding health consultations with children under five, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers
  • providing mental health support to women and girls
  • setting up a therapeutic feeding unit to treat malnourished children in Helmand province

Our reach

  • 324,668

    We helped almost 325,000 people through our programmes in 2019.

  • 338

    We have 338 staff based in Kabul, Ghor, Helmand and Bagdhis.

  • 1995

    We started working in Afghanistan in 1995.

Our response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Afghanistan

Emergency activities are ongoing, including providing personal protective equipment to health workers and carrying out regular disinfection in our treatment centres.

We’re continuing our health and nutrition programmes through mobile clinics, therapeutic feeding units and rapid response units in Helmand, Ghor, Daykundi and Kabul provinces – all affected by coronavirus and alarming rates of malnutrition. We treated over 10,000 malnourished children between March and July 2020.

Our teams have also raised awareness about the virus with handwashing promotion sessions, radio messages and by encouraging communities to seek help from health facilities.

Save lives todayTwo children playing in Afghanistan.

Save lives today

Help more communities in Afghanistan tackle hunger.

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Dr Sohni, an Action Against Hunger member of staff in Pakistan.

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