Support and Protect Families in Afghanistan

Throughout late August and early September of 2025, a series of earthquakes struck several provinces in Afghanistan. The quakes and aftershocks led to thousands of deaths and injuries, while even more became displaced as the tremors destroyed their homes.

While HALO teams in Afghanistan are best known for clearing landmines and dangerous explosive remnants of war, they are also uniquely prepared to respond to crises and support communities after sudden shocks. So, when this devastation struck, they acted quickly.

Vehicles that normally carry deminers and their gear became outfitted as ambulances. Teams who are skilled in responding to dangerous situations made quick use of their knowledge. And the relationships that HALO’s team in Afghanistan has forged with local communities helped them coordinate quickly in the critical moments after disaster struck.

Assessment and rapid response teams deployed immediately to the regions where the earthquake struck. As they arrived at the scene, tremors were still shaking the ground. Roads were completely blocked. One village had been entirely reduced to rubble.

Within 24 hours, they rescued seven people who were in critical condition, including two children.

To help people who had lost their homes, teams provided and set up 35 tents, each capable of sheltering up to 12 people. HALO’s medical staff treated 86 survivors and evacuated seven people in critical condition for further care.

Responders also delivered 50 emergency aid packages. Each one included 27 essential items: blankets, plastic outdoor rugs, tarps, cooking pots, pressure cookers, tea pots, knives, gas cylinders for fuel, towels, and other supplies to help families stay warm, safe, and dry in the days ahead.

The support of our GlobalGiving donors helped make this response possible. Disaster can uproot a family’s entire life in the blink of an eye. But, thanks to you, help can stand at the ready.

In Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Daud lives with his family of 12 in Belandhawa village.

In 2020, this family’s hometown became a frontline combat zone when former Afghan Army forces arrived to defend the provincial capital. Intense fighting forced them and several other families to flee the village.

A year later, Daud and other Belandhawa residents came back, hoping to resume the lives they had left behind. What they returned to, however, was far from welcoming. Their land and homes were full of explosives left behind by the conflict, and accidents in the village caused the death of several community members and injuries to many others.

“My house, including four rooms, was damaged during the conflict. Our farmland was also contaminated with mines,” Daud recalled.

“When I came back, we had to request demining support—our house was heavily contaminated."

In October 2024, The HALO Trust answered this request. After months of work, 10 demining teams had cleared roughly 61 acres – or about 46 football fields – of land by April 2025. In that time, they also safely destroyed 36 improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“HALO cleared my house and even found an IED inside. They also cleared other houses and roads in our area,” Daud said.

Today, the community is thriving on the cleared land.

In the village’s residential areas, homes are being repaired and reconstructed. In the village’s public spaces where people were once too afraid to step foot, children now gather every day to play sports.

Many families in Belandhawa rely on farming, including Daud's. Now, they are once again growing crops on their land without fear of what lays beneath the soil. 

"Now we live without fear, and our children can play safely again," he said.

Restoration and revival like this would not be possible without HALO’s community of support. Thank you for your commitment to a safer world.