UPDATE: this project has now been extended, and will run until 2022 and will support families in Badakhshan and Takhar.

Families living in the north-eastern province of Badakhshan already struggled to put food on the table and now, in the wake of COVID-19, over half the population are in desperate situations.

The pandemic has resulted in a huge reduction of local job opportunities, putting increasing financial stress on families. Meanwhile, lock-downs and movement restrictions have disrupted food supply chains, driving a rise in food prices and forcing ever more people into emergencies.

Afghanaid in action

In partnership with the World Food Programme, we recently launched a project to support 2,000 men and women in Badakhshan with the training, tools and seeds they need to produce more from both their land and livestock, thereby improving their ability to feed their families nutritious meals, and increasing the availability of affordable food in their local area. 

Over the next four months, we will provide local men with improved wheat seed, fertiliser and training in wheat cultivation, harvesting and food storage. We will also help these farmers to strengthen local cooperatives, and support them to form links to markets, establish trade relationships and negotiate better prices for their produce.

Getting local women involved

We will also be running training courses for 940 women, covering animal husbandry and dairy processing, and will provide them with dairy farming kits to get them going. We will support them to form links with existing dairy processing centres, enabling them to add value to their products so they can earn more money for their families.

We will support a further 60 women to set up their own small greenhouses, and provide them with vegetable seeds alongside the training they need to cultivate kitchen gardens. These women will be at the forefront of improving the quantity and quality of nutritious food available to their families and wider communities. As income earners, they will help lift their families out of poverty, and gain a greater level of respect in their homes and communities.

Creating healthier communities

All of these women will also take part in hygiene and nutrition training - knowledge they can share with their families and neighbours. By building the capacity of local men and women to produce nutritious food themselves, as well as their understanding of good hygiene practices, we will not only help them feed their families, but also support them to keep their family members healthy and safe from diseases too.

How you can help

A donation from you today will make a huge difference to the lives of people in Afghanistan:

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