Afghanistan
The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is helping people across Afghanistan
Last updated: 25 June 2025
Natural disasters and years of conflict have left at least two thirds of the population of Afghanistan in desperate need of help.
Drought, floods and earthquakes have forced many thousands of people from their homes. Disasters have destroyed crops and infrastructure, leaving millions of people without a way to earn a living.
Many families don’t have clean water and basic sanitation. Levels of hunger and malnutrition are high and temperatures are rising.
Our teams are providing essential aid on the ground.
Donate now and help us support the people of Afghanistan.
Abdul and his two toddlers sought refuge in a camp following the earthquake in Herat. PHOTO: Meer Abdullah Rasikh / IFRC
Afghanistan in numbers
- More than 28 million people urgently need help.
- 15.3 million people do not have enough food.
- 3.2 million children under 5 are severely malnourished.
- Only 42% of the population has access to clean drinking water.
- 6 out of 10 people don't have toilets and basic sanitation.
- Only 1 in 3 families have essentials like soap and clean water for washing.
- Afghanistan has one of the highest numbers of mothers dying in childbirth in the world - 638 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is around 47 times higher than the rate in the UK.
- Just half of Afghanistan’s health services are fully functional. Many women cannot get the help they need when giving birth.
Afghanistan is at extreme risk from climate change. The country is getting hotter, there’s less water for people to use and natural disasters are becoming more common.
Sediqa, a widow who lost her husband in the past conflicts and is having great difficulty feeding her children and getting through harsh winters.
- Drought: Afghanistan has had severe droughts since 2021. This has devastated farming, the main source of income for 80% of the population.
- Floods: Floods and heavy rain are happening more often. Thousands of families lose their homes each year. In 2023 alone, floods affected more than 100,000 people and destroyed houses, crops and infrastructure.
- Earthquakes: Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes. The October 2023 earthquakes in Herat province killed more than 2,000 people. Tens of thousands more were forced to leave their homes.
In November 2023 the Government of Pakistan launched the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program. This program has seen tens of thousands of Afghan nationals returning to Afghanistan either by choice or because of deportation.
- 842,429 people returned to Afghanistan between November 2023 and March 2025.
- More than 80,000 people returned in the first three weeks of April 2025.
- More than 2.5 million people are expected to be affected in total.
The Afghan Red Crescent works at the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
As of May 2025, first responders have:
- Provided shelter for 9,297 families
- Served 3,000 hot meals each day at border camps
- Given essential healthcare to 9,700 people in just April and May 2025
- Installed 60 portable toilets
- Provided mental health support to more than 3,000 people
Kabul, ICRC physical rehabilitation centre. A physiotherapist examines Shaheer, a young boy born with clubfoot.
How the Red Cross and Red Crescent are helping in Afghanistan
The Afghan Red Crescent is supported by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. They have been helping the people of Afghanistan for more than 30 years.
In Afghanistan we have:
- Opened 47 health clinics and a mobile clinic for disasters and remote areas.
- Launched an HIV-AIDS prevention project and treatment for congenital heart disease.
- Set up a 70-bed hospital in Kabul and a first aid program with 2,500 trained volunteers.
- Provided Marastoon welfare centres for families in need in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Nangarhar and Balkh provinces.
- Taught staff, volunteers and the public about how to be prepared for disasters
- Supplied 10,000 blankets, 4,000 tarpaulins, 6,000 jerrycans and food for 2,000 households after the 2023 earthquakes.
- Provided training in skills like sewing and embroidery to help women and girls to start businesses.
- Distributed livestock like cows and sheep to families along with education about animal farming.
- Given cash vouchers to people who lost their homes or did not have enough food or water. Cash vouchers help people to buy what they need.
Our staff and 40,000 volunteers are working hard to support families in all 34 of the country’s provinces.
Donate now to help us get the people of Afghanistan the support they urgently need.
Do you have a question about this page or want to give us feedback? Visit our Contact us page.