As winter sets in, families living in rural Afghanistan brace for another difficult year of icy weather. According to recent studies, hundreds of thousands of families in Daykundi and Samangan will struggle to get through the winter season.

With climate change increasing extreme weather in Afghanistan, harsh winters are now the norm. For families living in remote areas, the colder months are particularly challenging as their land is covered in a thick layer of ice and snow, and a lack of adequate shelter and heating means that lives are lost on a yearly basis.

To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic has already resulted in widespread illness and loss of life, and has starkly reduced income opportunities across Afghanistan, meaning families are already struggling to cover their most basic needs going into winter. Finding food is now a major challenge and, with the long winter stretching out ahead of them, the situation is set to worsen.

Afghanaid in action

In partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, our teams are on the ground, working to deliver emergency food to 17,400 men, women and children, to get them through the harsh winter months. This support will save lives, reduce illness and enable families to rebuild their livelihoods come springtime. 

Alongside this, we will also be providing emergency support to 2,127 vulnerable families in Daykundi and Samangan with 3- or 4-month heating packages and blankets, so they can keep their families warm, healthy and safe during the bitter cold weather.

Supporting those who need it most

We are targeting the most vulnerable including displaced families, women-headed households and those living with a disability. By providing two types of support, we will ensure that the most vulnerable families have the support they need to make it through.

How can you help?

This year has been a difficult year for many of us, so we wanted to help spread the festive spirit by coming together to light up our Christmas trees! Make a donation to add your light to our Christmas tree and support families in Afghanistan get through the harsh winter and build their resilience to extreme weather.

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