Support vulnerable families in rural Afghanistan

Despite the landlocked geographical placement of Afghanistan, the country is not lacking physical sources of water as it enjoys a vast quantity of rivers originating from the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Sadly however, this natural water endowment does not translate into an abundance of resources. 

Due to decades of conflict and instability and two years of successive droughts, Afghanistan instead finds itself desiccated with a severe water insecurity and worsening water supply networks. With the number of natural disasters increasing in Afghanistan , including climate change induced disasters, such as drought, water paucity has worsened, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) now projecting that 79% of the population have insufficient access to water for their daily needs, including drinking and bathing.

But the implications seep far further than thirst and cleanliness. A lack of water means that the produce from the agricultural sector is drying up, exacerbating the rapidly rising cases of food insecurity across the country and thus exacerbating the number of families in humanitarian crises. This means that currently, 84% of women-headed households are unable to put enough food on the table on a daily basis for themselves and their families. 

As well as assisting families to meet their basic needs now, Afghanaid also supports communities with longer term solutions to help them become more resilient to crises in the future, and therefore start to sustainably rebuild their lives.

Take Ishaq, a 41-year-old farmer living in Shahristan district, Daykundi province, who knows the effects of water scarcity all too well. Ishaq has been unable to grow sufficient crops to feed his family or to make a living, meaning that he has no way of earning a sustainable income. “Our farms were unproductive each year as a result of a shortage of agricultural water in the summer, which was a major problem for us,” Ishaq told us.

When Afghanaid visited Ishaq’s village, his community identified themselves as in need of urgent help and advised us that constructing a new reservoir would strengthen the agricultural livelihoods on which they depend.

Reservoirs are incredibly valuable assets for generating sustainable solutions to water management problems. They are able to promote sustainable usage of water through storing the excess water in winter gathered from the snow melt travelling down from the mountains. This means there is a stockpile supply of water all year round which can match demand in times of higher need. The long term implications of the reservoir are vast, improving water supply, agricultural production and in turn, the prospects and livelihoods of agricultural workers and their families.

The local ownership approach we embed into each of our projects is key to the sustainability of our work and it meant that we were able to provide new job opportunities to residents who worked as labourers during its construction, providing immediate financial relief to vulnerable families whilst taking pride in and ownership of the new infrastructure.

This support has meant that farmers like Ishaq are equipped to tackle food insecurity and support their families and wider communities through farming once more. “We'll be able to cultivate crops twice a year!” Ishaq told us proudly due to the now well-managed supply of water. 

Thanks to your help, we’ve been able to help more families like Ishaq, running a natural resource management project in northeast Afghanistan, which saw 13,500 families gain access to better managed natural resources, reducing the incidence rate of landslides and flash floods, and increasing household incomes.

Please continue to generously support our work so that we can enable more people to envisage a brighter future for themselves, their households and their communities.

Shakila* and her family have lived in a rural and remote province of mountainous Afghanistan for 25 years. Sadly, her and her childrens’ lives have continued to be marred by the devastating death of her husband, who was unfortunately killed in a roadside mine accident 18 years ago.

Despite the social and economic obstacles facing a single mother in Afghanistan, Shakila’s resilient determination ensured she was able to find work. Her employment as a cleaner for other families meant that she could supply her children with the basic necessities and provide them with an education. 

This resilience however, was once again tested when a deadly flood hit their remote, rural village.  Shakila and her children left their house to see that the cruel flood had covered their entire neighbourhood, sweeping away Shakila's home and her dreams for herself and her family. The family - who had already lost so much - were forced to find shelter wherever possible, even in tents. 

When Afghanaid visited Shakila’s village, she immediately identified herself as in need of urgent help. As part of Afghanaid’s emergency shelter assistance programme, we have been rebuilding and restoring homes across the village, helping over 320 households affected by this flood to access safe shelter. 

This support has meant that Shakila’s family now have a secure place they can call home.

Shakila told us, “I am thankful to Afghanaid for their financial and technical support, and for helping me survive. I am happy that now we own our own shelter, and can live without any shock and stress because Afghanaid was there to support us.”

 A year and a half after the Taliban’s return to power, the Afghan economy is on the brink of collapse, with 97% of the population now living below the poverty line and without access to basic necessities. Global political issues such as the conflict in Ukraine have forced food and gas prices to immeasurable highs, and a third consecutive drought is looming meaning food shortages in the coming year may be even more acute. To make things even more challenging, climate change is increasing extreme weather in Afghanistan, meaning harsh winters are now the norm: temperatures in Afghanaid’s operational areas have recently plummeted to below -35 degrees celsius. 

Considering this melange of challenges, combined with the continued fallout of 4 decades of sustained conflict and an increasing number of natural disasters, Afghanistan is now facing one of the world's most acute internal displacement crises. It is estimated that over 5.8 million people in the country are internally displaced in Afghanistan, facing the brutal weather and acute humanitarian emergency without the security of a place to call home. 

Thanks to your help, over the past year, we've supported over 12,830 people by building or repairing their homes, helping villages like Shakila’s once decimated by conflict or natural disasters to start anew. Please continue to support our work so that we can reach more people with the urgent assistance they need to live safely and start to rebuild their lives.

*We have changed Shakila's name to protect her identity.