Afghanistan Humanitarian Aid for Children

Save the Children's groundbreaking report about humanitarian aid in Afghanistan

By the numbers:

• Population- 28,395,716
• Size: slightly smaller than Texas
• 70% of the population live below the poverty line
• 1 in 4 children die before reaching their 5th birthday
• 72% of the population over age 15 are illiterate
• Only 50% of all Afghan children between the ages of 7 and 13 attend school

(CIA World Factbook, WHO, World Bank)

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Afghanistan’s turbulent modern history has been shaped by decades of internal conflict and extreme natural disasters, especially drought. With an estimated population of 30 million, this landlocked country at the historical crossroads of Central Asia is extremely poor and highly dependent on foreign aid as it struggles to rebuild. After years of war and severe poverty, combined with poor security, the country is considered to be among the most dangerous places for children to be born. 

Emergency Update from Kabul: Deep Freeze in Afghanistan Causes Great Sorrow

• Challenges for Children
• Emergency Relief and Recovery
• Impact and Programs
• Support Save the Children

Challenges for Children

The challenges are daunting, especially for children and women. Even though political and economic uncertainty and personal and community insecurity still exist in much of Afghanistan, Save the Children is committed to helping Afghan families and communities.

For almost 30 years Afghan children have been affected by conflict. Only half of children are in school today, many work in the streets or in fields and homes to support their families. Children in Afghanistan face one of the worst chances of survival of anywhere in the world. One in four children dies before their fifth birthday, most of them from preventable diseases and malnutrition.

Emergency Relief and Recovery

Nearly 3 million people in Afghanistan are affected by a drought that has caused crops to fail, leaving many in a constant struggle to feed their children and families. The harsh Afghan winter makes in even harder to reach the most vulnerable communities whose next harvest season will not begin until June 2012.

Save the Children is working hand in hand with public and private partners to help avert a child hunger crisis. Parents need support to buy food for their children as they cannot depend on fall harvests to feed their families. Save the Children is advancing a plan to temporarily employ parents of children in need on projects to improve local reservoirs, agricultural canals and other critical drought-related projects.

Impact and Programs

Child Protection: Save the Children fights for children’s right to protection. We work closely with local communities, religious leaders, parents, teachers and the government to create and help maintain measures and structures that can prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting children.

Health: Save the Children works with families, communities and health care workers in homes, health posts, clinics and hospitals to promote basic health, well-being and survival, particularly for children under age 5 and for women of childbearing age. In addition to government healthcare leaders and administrators, we train and support community health workers living in some of the poorest and most remote areas in Afghanistan.

Education: For many children in Afghanistan, being beaten and humiliated is a daily reality. Afghanistan still legally permits teachers to physically punish children. Save the Children works to change that and to provide successful models of violence-free schools that can be used all over the country.

Last Updated February 2012