This year, Afghanistan has faced its worst drought in decades, crippling the country and forcing families to watch as their land turns to dust, their crops wither and die, and their livestock wastes away.

Men and women across the country have used all of the resources at their disposal to try and provide for their families, but their savings have become exhausted, leaving half of the country in a critical situation. The shortage of food, alongside a lack of clean water, has had devastating effects for families like Sakina’s (pictured) and, with the harsh winter setting in, families in remote rural areas are in the most danger.

Over the past few months, we have been coordinating with the World Food Programme to provide essential food to thousands of vulnerable families like Sakina’s to get them through the icy winter months.

This assistance has been life-saving for families like Sakina’s. However, much more is still needed in order to ensure that this hard work is not undone.

read sakina's story  help more vulnerable families

Background information

Decades of conflict, poverty and natural disasters have taken a huge toll on Afghanistan. In the last two years alone, more than one million Afghan men, women and children have been forced to leave their homes and many communities were already at breaking point. This drought has intensified displacement, uprooting a further 275,000 people, and pushed still more families into extreme poverty.

4 in 10 Afghan children are stunted from malnutrition and nearly 1 in 10 is severely malnourished. Families placed in such extreme situations are often forced to adopt damaging coping strategies; indeed, the current drought has already increased instances of families forcing their daughters into early marriages for the immediate financial relief of the dowry.

We are working to change this.

Looking to the future

We will be continuing to work with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to help these vulnerable families. But we need your help.

Drought-affected families like Sakina’s desperately need our support to make it through the winter and rebuild their lives come spring.

A gift from you today could provide essential food items, hygiene kits, and emergency shelters to families in crisis.

With instances of extreme weather and natural disasters becoming increasingly frequent, your support is more important than ever. By setting up a regular donation today, you will enable us to plan ahead and ensure we can continue to provide life-saving assistance when disasters strike.

Afghanaid’s assistance has changed the course of Sakina's life. Please read Sakina’s story and help give an urgently needed lifeline to more vulnerable families in Afghanistan. Thank you.

Yes, I will give a lifeline to vulnerable families