Reports
Find out more about how DEC charities responded to the crisis.
Afghanistan
Crisis Appeal
Afghanistan
Crisis Appeal
DEC charities provided a lifeline to people in Afghanistan after drought and economic collapse left millions hungry.
Please note this appeal is now closed and all funds have been spent.
Abdul-Karim* from Daykundi province struggled to earn a living due to his disability, and the drought meant he could no longer grow food. Cash support from DEC charity CAFOD helped his family buy food, fuel and other essentials.
Two-year response
£51.8 million
raised for the appeal, including £10 million from the UK Government
2.7 million
estimated* number of people supported across Afghanistan with appeal funds
Drought, economic collapse and rising global food prices pushed millions in Afghanistan to the brink of famine in 2021. DEC charities provided a lifeline to an estimated* 2.7 million people over our two-year response.
Funds from the appeal provided cash assistance for families to buy essentials like food and medicine. Mobile health units provided essential services to women and children. Families were given food parcels and warm shelter items to survive the winter. And farmers were supported to rebuild their livelhoods with grants to grow crops, livestock and farming equipment. Your donations also funded water projects to help families counter the impact of the drought.
When earthquakes hit Herat province in October 2023, several DEC charities used funds from the appeal to support survivors.
The appeal has now closed and all funds have been spent.
*While efforts have been made to avoid counting people more than once, some individuals may have received assistance from multiple member charities offering different types of support.
Three-year-old Sameem receives treatment at a Save the Children mobile clinic. Photo: Sacha Myers/Save the Children
Sameem received life-saving treatment
When three-year-old Sameem developed pneumonia, his mother Yasamin became desperately worried. She had already lost his younger brother to illness the previous year, as she couldn't afford treatment.
Thankfully, Yasamin was able to get help for Sameem at a mobile clinic run by DEC charity Save the Children. The family also nutritious food to help them stay healthy.
As millions of children in Afghanistan were acutely malnourished, DEC charities provided life-saving aid, thanks to your donations.
Abdul-Karim’s family received two rounds of cash support from DEC charity CAFOD. Photo: Arete/DEC
How donations helped
Abdul-Karim struggled to provide for his family after the drought devastated his farmlands. His family ate just one meal a day, his grandson easmalnourished, and when his mother passed away he didn’t have money to bury her.
Abdul-Karim’s family is one of the many that have been supported with cash assistance, thanks to DEC funds.
Read more about where DEC funds were spent in the first six months.
Bibi Gul is sad she is unable to work and support her family. Cash support from Age International has meant she no longer fears being evicted from her home. Photo: Mirwais Amir Akbar
Cash arrived in time for Bibi Gul
Afghanistan is one of the toughest places in the world to be an older person, as many struggle with illness, disability, trauma and displacement from their homes.
DEC charity Age International provided cash to help older people pay for rent and buy food, essential medicines, and fuel to heat their homes.
Bibi Gul from Herat province, feared eviction from her home, if aid had not arrived in time. Read more on how we supported her and other older people.
Latest updates
The latest on the appeal and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
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ITV News: Babies die of malnutrition in Afghanistan
18 August 2022
The crisis in Afghanistan is already unimaginable and it is only set to get worse, reports* Rageh Omaar from ITV News.
More than 300,000 children have been admitted to hospital with severe acute malnutrition, with monthly admissions up 90% from June 2021 to June 2022.
According to Islamic Relief, 97% of Afghans are expected to be in poverty by the end of the year with almost 20 million of its 38 million population regularly going hungry.
People in Afghanistan still need our support. We will not turn our backs on them now.
*Report contains upsetting scenes
Afghanistan Crisis Appeal raises £50 million
16 August 2022
The DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal has raised an incredible £50 million since its launch last December to support people facing acute hunger, cold, and lack of medical care. The total includes £10 million matched by the UK Government.
"Donations to the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal have helped provide a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of those most in need," said Saleh Saeed, DEC Chief Executive. "Thank you so much to everyone who donated to this appeal. You have made a huge difference to so many people caught up in a crisis far beyond their control and desperately in need of help."
A crisis of this magnitude is not quickly resolved, and the needs remain dire. Please continue to support the appeal and help DEC charities reach families in need across the country.
How donations are helping people in Afghanistan
15 August 2022
Abdul-Karim’s family is one of the many supported with cash assistance, thanks to DEC funds.
Donations to the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal are a lifeline for families facing hunger and suffering across the country.
In the first six months of the response, DEC charities have provided:
- Over 243,000 people with cash assistance, giving them flexibility to buy essentials like food, warm clothes or fuel
- Over 131,000 people with emergency food supplies such as wheat flour, vegetable oil, pulses salt and rice
- Over 100,000 people with health services, including medicines, vaccines and maternal and newborn care
- Over 2,900 mothers and children under five with treatment for acute malnutrition
Read more on how DEC charities and their local partners have helped families survive, and our plans for the next phase of our response.
Cash assistance is a lifeline for older people in Afghanistan
15 August 2022
Hesamuddin paid for food, medical treatment and bills with the cash he received.
If you’re an older person in Afghanistan you would likely already have lived through 40 or so years of conflict and economic crisis when the situation worsened in August 2021. Combined with severe drought and the global cost of living increases, many older people were left with empty pockets and empty plates.
With funds from the DEC appeal, Age International has been providing a series of cash payments directly to over 4,400 families, helping them pay for rent and buy food, essential medicines, and fuel to heat their homes.
The needs of older and disabled people are not always met by traditional aid packages but cash assistance allows them to pay for items like suitable foods, medicines, fuel and rent so they can stay safe and warm in their homes. Cash is often also quicker to reach people in desperate need of support.
