The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan ignited a deepening humanitarian crisis. Thousands of Afghans were forced to flee their homes or live in fear. Learn more about what’s happening and how to help.
Afghan refugees and families are facing a humanitarian crisis with no clear end in sight. Here are five simple, but powerful ways you can help:
After more than 40 years of conflict, Afghanistan is now facing a humanitarian crisis with 18.4 million people—nearly half the country’s population—in need of assistance. As the situation changes in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover, many Afghans don’t know what the future will hold for them and say they fear for their lives.
A cash donation to the Afghanistan Emergency Fund will support local and community-led organizations that understand their communities and have a long history of serving them. Local nonprofits receive only 2% of global humanitarian funding. That makes supporting them even more important, as they’re positioned to meet changing and long-term needs, but often don’t have the funds to serve everyone in need.
Even before tens of thousands of Afghans fled when the Taliban retook control, Afghans made up one of the largest refugee populations. Today, more than 6 million Afghans are refugees globally, a figure that more than doubled since 2021. Another 3.2 million Afghans are internally displaced.
Since the summer of 2021, the United States welcomed 115,000 Afghans to the country and has also extended Temporary Protection Status due to ongoing conflict and the inability to return to Afghanistan. You can welcome Afghan refugees in your community by giving to organizations like the International Rescue Committee. You can help to resettle Afghans in your community as part of the United States’ new Welcome Corps program. Or you can even open up your own home through Airbnb’s program to provide free or discounted housing for refugees.
Afghanistan’s media landscape had transformed from nascent to thriving in the past two decades. But the Taliban’s rule undid that progress. Despite the group’s claims that the media will continue to be free and open, local journalists report being threatened, beaten, and detained by the Taliban. The majority of female reporters have become unemployed.
You can support and share the work of Afghan journalists or boost the efforts of nonprofits Internews and MADRE to help journalists and human rights activists continue their work in Afghanistan. Remember that this work is risky, and safety must come first.
Local leaders have been serving their communities in Afghanistan and continue to speak out despite uncertainty. These leaders, such as Sakena Yacoobi of the Afghan Institute of Learning, are shining a light on the humanitarian crisis in the country and how everyday people are being affected. And they’re telling the world they won’t give up. “Our democracy may have fallen for now. Ideas do not disappear so easily,” Sakena wrote.
GlobalGiving Community Voices Fellow Hassina Sherjan shares her ideas about Afghanistan’s current state and solutions for the country’s future in a series of op-eds. Look for Afghan voices in discussions, and share their quotes, follow their accounts, and amplify their messages.
Afghan women have been disproportionately targeted by Taliban policies since 2021. Afghan women are not allowed to work for NGOs, and girls’ education beyond public secondary school is prohibited. Women are also prohibited from attending university, which threatens the livelihoods and opportunities of women, women-headed households, and the country’s economy overall.
You can contribute to scholarships for Afghan girls and women in countries welcoming them, and you can also support the Safer World Fund, which is devoted to rebuilding and reviving Afghanistan. The fund has supported 30 different nonprofits focused on women and girls’ education, economic opportunity, and health care since 2009.
Afghans need persistent support—yet 70-80% of disaster funding is aimed at short-term relief, and most of it is given within the first two months of a disaster. As families who left Afghanistan strive to rebuild their lives and communities, you can plan your donations to help them for the long haul. For those living in Afghanistan, livelihood opportunities have shifted significantly since 2021, creating uncertainty and forcing some to depend on humanitarian aid for the first time. Consider starting a monthly donation that will provide reliable resources to help Afghans meet their long-term needs.
And just as needs change after disasters, the needs of people in Afghanistan shift from day to day. A donation to the GlobalGiving Afghanistan Emergency Fund lets locally led organizations provide relief and services that people in their communities need the most—where and when they need them.
Help people in Afghanistan who are at risk under Taliban rule and trying to find a better future.
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