Thanks to your generous support, in 2024, our teams have been able to continue delivering impactful humanitarian and development assistance across Afghanistan. Amidst mounting challenges, this lifesaving and life changing work is made possible through your donations and thanks to the strength of the Afghan communities we work with.

The situation in 2024

Life continued to be unimaginably tough for the people of Afghanistan in 2024. With over 23 million people requiring humanitarian assistance, and over 15 million facing acute food insecurity, extreme poverty and hunger continued to fuel immense hardship, particularly in the remote, rural regions in which we work.

What are some of the challenges Afghans continue to face?

1. Afghan women and girls continued to navigate increasing restrictions on their ability to live free and full lives. Without the active participation of women and girls, communities have been left unable to fully, inclusively and sustainably rebuild. 
2. The climate crisis has also continued to exacerbate disasters across the country. In the spring, flash flooding devastated whole communities and forced thousands of families to flee their homes. More than 173,300 people were affected by flooding in 2024, with lives, homes and livelihoods lost.
3. Communities also struggled to recover from the multiple shocks experienced at the end of 2023, most notably the devastating series of earthquakes that struck Herat province in 2023, as well as the influx of hundreds of thousands of Afghans who had been forcibly returned from Pakistan and Iran in the last year, following mounting hostility in both neighbouring countries towards refugees. These mass deportations have created immense pressure on already overstretched communities, at a time when Afghanistan humanitarian relief was substantially underfunded.

Despite these mounting challenges, the resilience and resourcefulness of vulnerable communities across Afghanistan continued to serve as a beacon of hope and light in the darkest times.

Our impact in 2024

Our dedicated staff implemented 22 projects in 2024. This included creating and rehabilitating water reservoirs and canals to support communities to better access water, providing critical emergency relief to communities facing crisis, bolstering sustainable livelihoods and reducing poverty, and supporting the mental health of Afghan women. Throughout all of our programming, communities were at the forefront of designing and delivering this work, understanding best how to lift themselves out of insecurity and instability. 

Join us as we look back at some of the inspiring people and communities we worked alongside:

1. Meeting women’s unique needs in the toughest of environments

Afghanistan’s women and girls have never needed more support. This year, we ensured that wherever possible, and despite the unimaginable challenges they face, Afghan women and girls were able to keep working towards more enriching and full lives. We directly supported over 25,000 women to address the unique challenges they are facing, through the creation of self-help groups.

Even in terms of mental health, we can stay away from depression because we can talk with each other and share problems with each other... We want to reduce our problems and help each other.

Rezia*, member of a Self-Help Group

This year, we also prioritised vocational training for women to ensure they were still able to learn new skills and earn incomes. Dunya* recently received the tools and training she needed to start her own tailoring business, and now sells around 28 dresses a month. Earning enough income to sustain herself and her family, Dunya is also supporting other women in her local area to learn tailoring skills.⁠ "Thanks to the project, I am able to do the job I like. Being able to teach this group of women how to improve their techniques and working together everyday gives me a lot of motivation to continue this job and grow my skills. Thanks to Afghanaid I have the equipment to do my job and make my own money."

2. Creating employment opportunities by solving community challenges

In the remote, mountainous villages of Afghanistan, the challenges faced by communities are deeply interconnected, requiring comprehensive and creative solutions. In Ghor, one of the country’s most impoverished provinces, drought has made water increasingly scarce, while flash floods wreak havoc on fields and homes. Parisa's* community was one of many feeling the strain.

After discussing the issues they were facing with our local team, Afghanaid built a new water intake system to manage and redirect the flow of water, addressing both scarcity and flooding, and hiring local labourers who were previously facing unemployment. 

For families like Parisa’s, this initiative was transformative. Her husband, Ahmed, joined the construction team, and the wages he earned enabled them to purchase lifesaving medicine for their young daughter, Zarin, who had been severely ill with multiple infections. Today, Zarin is fully recovered - she’s learning to talk, giggling often, and bringing joy to her family. “We are so grateful she is healthy now,” Parisa shared.

3. Addressing climate challenges in innovative ways

Beyond meeting immediate needs through cash-for-work programmes, our projects create long-lasting benefits for the entire community. Water intake systems significantly reduce flooding, helping protect fields and homes, while also improving access to water for crops and livestock—an essential lifeline for agricultural workers in the region.  

Before, there was water scarcity, and the flash floods destroyed our fields, but with the construction of the intake, we were able to get rid of such issues. 

Faisel

Across Samangan province, the planting of saplings on 43.9 hectares of land significantly contributed to the reduction of soil erosion, the prevention of flash floods, and the conservation of water and forest land. Across May and June 2024, when heavy rainfall occurred in the Khuram-wa-Sarbagh district, it resulted in widespread damage. However, it was noted that in areas where reforestation had taken place under this forest restoration project, flood damage was minimal. Additionally, various bird and plant species have begun to return to these regions, indicating that the project is effectively contributing to increased.

By integrating climate programming with job creation, agricultural support and basic service provision, we can create sustainable solutions to the acute climate challenges Afghans face, and build a stronger, more resilient future. Our teams supported 700 communities to adapt to the climate crisis and build climate resilient livelihoods in 2024, and planted over 48,900 trees. 

4. Delivering emergency relief when it was needed most

In order to meet urgent need across the country, stemming from the ongoing humanitarian crisis, displacement and instances of climate disasters, our teams delivered emergency support including food, cash, shelter, essential items and heating supplies to over 422,000 people last year. 

One of the areas where we provided this assistance was Herat province, where many communities were still reeling from the impacts of 2023's devastating earthquakes. Aina and her family were left unable to afford basic necessities to stay safe and keep warm after the earthquake damaged her home. After receiving assistance in the form of emergency cash, she was able to make vital improvements to her family’s lives:

I used the donated money to treat my children, we went to the doctor when we got sick, we bought fuel such as firewood, and we used our own food and expenses... I am a strong woman, and with this cash I hope I can rebuild the future of my children. 

Aina

Want to continue inspiring hope in 2025?

This year, we will continue to make life better for over one million people in Afghanistan. Please support this work today.