Afghanistan
Crisis Appeal
Afghanistan
Crisis Appeal
Families are starving in Afghanistan.
Eight million people are on the brink
of famine. Help them survive.
Habib* is screened for malnutrition at a health clinic supported by DEC charity International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan. Photo: Kellie Ryan/IRC UK. *Name changed.
Key facts
1 million
children at risk of dying from malnutrition this winter as 22 million people go hungry
95%
of people in Afghanistan do not have enough food to eat
Afghanistan is facing catastrophe this winter. Children are dying today, and a million more under the age of five are at risk of dying over the winter months. We need to act now to save lives.
More than eight million people are on the brink of famine. Years of conflict, the Covid-19 pandemic, a change of government and the worst drought in 27 years have led to catastrophic hunger. Freezing weather is only worsening the situation.
DEC charities are on the ground providing life-saving aid, scaling up their operations and reaching those most in need.
DEC charities are using donations to:
-
Deliver emergency food and cash to hungry families
-
Provide urgent nutrition to young children and mothers
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Support healthcare facilities to treat malnutrition
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Provide winter kits to help displaced families stay warm
watch the video
Bushra*, 9, and her family were forced to flee their home due to the war in Syria and now live in a camp for displaced people in Idlib. Image: Islamic Relief
Coronavirus Appeal
The pandemic is far from over in many places around the world. Our Coronavirus Appeal is funding work in eight countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DR Congo, India, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, where millions of people have little access to medical care or clean water, making them much more vulnerable to the virus.
But in many countries the economic effects of the pandemic are even more deadly than the virus itself as millions of people are pushed towards famine due to falling incomes and rising food prices. Hunger can be particularly devastating for children, leading to malnutrition which in the worst cases can be fatal.
Aid workers unload equipment after the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi, Indonesia in 2018. Image: Hariandi Hafid/British Red Cross
ABOUT THE DEC
When large-scale disasters hit countries without the capacity to respond, the DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response.
Pooling our resources to work as one, we are pivotal in co-ordinating the UK public's response to overseas disasters. In collaboration with our Rapid Response Network of national media and corporate partners, we raise the alarm to the UK public and set up easy ways for them to donate.
And we have immediate impact, getting aid to people who need it, fast.
Since our launch in 1963
74
appeals launched for major disasters overseas
£1.7 billion
raised, saving countless lives and rebuilding communities
