Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) charities have provided a vital lifeline to people across Afghanistan in recent years, delivering aid and critical services following years of drought, natural disasters, and economic collapse that have left millions of people hungry across the country.
In total, DEC raised more than $63 million in the first six months of its Afghanistan Crisis Appeal, including $12 million in matching contributions from the UK government. 243,000 people provided cash donations, meeting the urgent need for cash and medicine. The campaign also enabled DEC charities to treat more than 2,900 babies, infants, and mothers for acute malnutrition. Nevertheless, with 5.9 million people across Afghanistan deemed to be just one step away from famine, much more remains to done.
Drought and economic collapse
In addition to drought and economic collapse pushing Afghanistan to the brink of famine, the country also had to deal with devastating earthquakes in Herat province in October 2023. Covid-19, combined with skyrocketing increases in global food prices have further compounded the problem.
DEC provided cash assistance to more than 243,000 Afghans, as well as delivering emergency food to more than 130,000 people in the first six months of the charity’s response. DEC and its charities provided medicine, health services, vaccines, and maternal and newborn care, including services via mobile health clinics designed to reach remote communities lacking access to local healthcare. The organization also implemented water projects designed to counter the impact of drought, helping local people to get back on their feet and protecting livelihoods.
For the elderly, Afghanistan is one of the toughest places on earth to live, the current crisis placing them at even further risk. Thanks to the generous support of its patrons, DEC charity Age International reached 4,400 families through its Afghanistan Crisis Appeal, providing support tailored to the needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.
Many elderly Afghans are struggling
Combined with the worsening economic crisis, natural disasters and increases in the global cost of living have left many older people in Afghanistan with “empty pockets and empty plates,” according to Annabel Hibbert from Age International. With their incomes falling, many elderly Afghans are struggling to access medicine while simultaneously battling hunger. Funding from DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal enabled Age International to provide a series of cash payments directly to elderly people in need, helping them to pay their rent, heat their homes, and buy food and essential medicine.
One aid recipient was Bibi Gul, who had been unable to pay her rent and faced eviction. Unable to walk or work due to disability, the 64-year-old faced homelessness. Thankfully, Age International was able to help, enabling the family to pay their rent, water and electricity bill, and repay their debts. Expressing her gratitude, Bibi Gul explained that they had food and fuel to last a few months. Without Age International’s support, she would not have been able to do so, and the family would have become homeless.
Barriers to employment and humanitarian aid
Over the decades, Afghanistan’s elderly have faced displacement, illness, disability, and trauma, all of which can be huge barriers to both securing paid employment and accessing humanitarian support. Some of Afghanistan’s elderly population are in dire need of medical treatment for age-related chronic illnesses, such as dementia, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. As their healthcare needs increase, it makes it even more difficult for them to secure employment, with the economic collapse making work even harder to find.
Like many countries, the Covid-19 pandemic had devastating consequences on the Afghan economy. A perfect storm of economic challenges pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse in 2021, leaving 95% of the population without enough food to eat, with malnutrition threatening the lives of a million children, according to DEC. Working across many Afghan provinces, DEC charities reached tens of thousands of families, providing lifesaving malnutrition treatment and medical care, as well as food and cash.
‘One step away from famine’
Afghanistan is home to the third largest internally displaced population globally. The country’s healthcare system is buckling under the strain, pushed to the point of collapse by surging need created by Covid-19 along with chronic poverty and spiraling rates of malnutrition. Many healthcare facilities in the country are forced to operate with gaps in personnel, medicine, and equipment, as well as facing uncertainties in terms of adequate clean water and sanitation services. In Phase 2 of its response, DEC focused on supporting those most at risk, earmarking $21 million for expenditure up to December 2023, when the appeal closed.
Launched in 2021, in the wake of Afghanistan’s worst drought in 27 years, DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal raised more than $63 million, with 13 DEC charities responding to the crisis and scaling up their emergency support. However, even with an increase in aid efforts, DEC warned that the outlook for Afghans remained bleak, with food shortages and price increases leaving 5.9 million people “one step away from famine.”