Afghanaid to display exclusive new photography exhibition from 1st-3rd July in Shoreditch, London.

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British humanitarian and development organisation Afghanaid have collaborated with photographers Kobra Akbari and Lynzy Billing to curate an exhibition which showcases the resilience of Afghan women as they continue to battle the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. From Friday 1st July, Hoxton 253 gallery space will be open to the public, exhibiting beautiful portraits of women who Afghanaid works with in some of the most remote, rural areas of Afghanistan.

The exhibition will also launch Afghanaid's summer appeal, By Her Side, an exciting new campaign which gives the general public the opportunity to get their donations matched, pound for pound, by the UK Government.

Alongside the portraits, there will also be talks, short films and interactive content.

Kobra Akbari, featured photographer, says: 

“Through photography I am able to communicate with people, society and culture. Through photography I get to know my country. My biggest concern is portraying the situation of Afghan women and art.”

On Saturday 2nd July, special guests will attend the exhibition at 5pm to give short talks including Gulwali Passarlay, author of The Lightless Sky. He said:

“Since the Taliban takeover last August, the situation in Afghanistan remains unimaginably tough, meaning it is more important than ever to take time to celebrate the resilience of women across the country who have continued to provide for their families despite acute adversity.

I visited Afghanaid's head office in Kabul in February of this year and saw first-hand the impact of their invaluable work to support families through the current humanitarian crisis. I am thrilled to be speaking at this new exhibition and to support their exciting By Her Side campaign."

Find out more about the exhibition and secure a free ticket: www.afghanaid.org.uk/Event/by-her-side-exhibition

Learn more about Afghanaid’s By Her Side campaign: www.afghanaid.org.uk/Appeal/by-her-side-uk-aid-match-appeal

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For more information, please contact:

• Kate Arthur, Head of Communications and Giving [email protected];
• Call +44 (0) 207 916 9883 or email [email protected]

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Notes to editors:

About the By Her Side exhibition

Location:

Hoxton 253

253 Hoxton Street

Whitmore Estate

London, N1 5LG

Opening times: 

• Friday 1st July, 5:00pm - 9:00pm
• Saturday 2nd July, 10:00am - 9:00pm, with Gulwali Passarlay, author of The Lightless Sky giving a reading and book signing at 5:00pm.
• Sunday 3rd July, 10:00am - 8:00pm.

Tickets:

The exhibition is free entry, although there is limited capacity at the venue. Book a free ticket in advance to secure your place: www.afghanaid.org.uk/Event/by-her-side-exhibition

About the Photographers

Lynzy Billing is an Investigative Journalist, Photographer and Videographer reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq since 2019.

Kobra Akbari is a freelance Photographer and Journalism graduate from Balkh province, Afghanistan, with a particular interest in social documentary. After starting professional photography in 2015, her first collection of photos titled ‘Tea for Sale in Kabul Cemetery’ was published by BBC Farsi, and she has since worked with an array of local and foreign clients and news agencies.

About UK Aid Match

UK Aid Match brings charities, the British public and the UK government together to collectively change lives and support people around the world. It is designed to allow the British public to have a say in how UK aid is spent and provide opportunities to engage with international issues, whilst boosting the impact of work like Afghanaid's.

The UK government will match all public donations made to Afghanaid between 30th June 2022 and 30th September 2022 up to £2 million, helping to double the transformative impact Afghanaid can have on women’s lives in Afghanistan.

Where will donations made to By Her Side go?

100% of the matched funding that the public will unlock from the UK government will be used to support female livestock owners in remote rural Afghanistan to gain the skills, knowledge and tools they need to maximise the health and productivity of their animals and create a reliable source of food and income. Half of the donations Afghanaid receives from the public will also support this work, and the other half will go towards supporting their general work across Afghanistan, supporting families to recover and rebuild their lives, adapt to climate change and strengthen their resilience to future crises.

About Afghanaid

Afghanaid is a British humanitarian and development organisation. Since 1983, our dedicated staff have worked with millions of families in some of the poorest and most remote communities in Afghanistan. We build basic services, improve livelihoods, strengthen the rights of women and children, help communities protect against natural disasters and adapt to climate change, and respond to humanitarian emergencies in pursuit of a peaceful and thriving Afghanistan.

Since August 2021, Afghanaid has supported over 1,136,000 men, women, boys and girls across the country with emergency humanitarian assistance to help combat rising food insecurity in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

In the past 3 years, Afghanaid has supported more than 1,161,000 women to enhance their economic engagement, inclusion in local governance and full participation in community life.

For more information about our work, visit our website www.afghanaid.org.uk, or follow us on Twitter @Afghanaid or find us on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and TikTok.