Children and families in Afghanistan are facing a deepening humanitarian crisis due to decades of conflict, chronic poverty, and recurring natural disasters, including severe flooding and powerful earthquakes — the deadliest in recent years. These events underscore the enduring hardships in Afghanistan against a backdrop of widespread hunger, a collapsing health system, devastation to schools, and the destruction of family livelihoods.
Afghanistan crisis: Facts, FAQs, and how to help
Explore facts and frequently asked questions about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and learn how to help Afghan children and their families.
- Fast facts: Afghanistan crisis
- What’s the current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan?
- What are the reasons behind Afghanistan’s hunger crisis?
- In what ways are Afghan children impacted by the crisis?
- How is the crisis impacting Afghan girls and women specifically?
- Where is World Vision working in Afghanistan?
- How many people has World Vision supported in Afghanistan?
- How can I help Afghan children and their families?
Fast facts: Afghanistan crisis
- Afghanistan is currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, worsened by two devastating earthquake events in 2022 and 2023.
- The landlocked country has been entangled in conflict, drought, extreme poverty, and natural disasters.
- The October 2023 earthquakes, including the 6.3 magnitude quake, caused 2,000 deaths and left over 4,000 people injured and 1,400 people displaced in Herat Province in western Afghanistan.
- More than half of Afghanistan’s population, approximately 23.7 million people, is expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2024, as reported by UNHCR.
- According to the World Food Programme (WFP), 12.4 million Afghans face acute food insecurity, with 1 in 4 unsure of where their next meal will come from.
- The WFP reports that acute malnutrition rates are exceeding emergency thresholds in 25 out of 34 Afghan provinces, with nearly half of children under 5 and a quarter of pregnant and breastfeeding women needing urgent nutrition support in the next 12 months.
- Heavy rainfall and flash floods struck northeastern Afghanistan in early May 2024, impacting 21 districts across Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Takhar provinces. The devastation claimed the lives of an estimated 180 people and injured 280.
What’s the current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan?
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains dire, with widespread poverty affecting 48% of the population. Natural disasters and economic instability have exacerbated the country’s vulnerabilities. Millions of Afghans face acute malnutrition and starvation, as the struggling economy fails to support basic necessities.
Women and girls are particularly impacted, facing restrictions on education and employment, which has led to increased child marriage, adolescent childbearing, and mental health issues.
What are the reasons behind Afghanistan’s hunger crisis?
The hunger crisis in Afghanistan is driven by a combination of factors including economic collapse, ongoing conflict, natural disasters, and displacement. Decades of conflict have disrupted agricultural production and displaced millions of people, while natural disasters like droughts and floods have further reduced food availability. Rising food prices and poor access to humanitarian aid have worsened the situation, leaving millions, especially children and vulnerable communities, facing severe hunger and malnutrition.
In what ways are Afghan children impacted by the crisis?
World Vision cares deeply about the needs and rights of children in Afghanistan, and we’re very concerned about their situation. Today, 12.3 million children need lifesaving aid in Afghanistan, according to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF). And 41% of Afghan children suffer from stunting — being small for their age — a common and largely irreversible effect of malnutrition. This places Afghanistan among the countries with the highest rates of malnutrition for children under 5. Drought and displacement caused by recent conflict have made conditions worse.
Without peace and humanitarian access, Afghanistan’s children are at significant risk of violence, neglect, abuse, exploitation, starvation, and worsening malnutrition. Situations like child marriage, child labor, family separation, and mass displacements — as families leave in search of food — are all likely to worsen. Already, parents in the most desperate situations are making the unimaginable decision to sell one daughter for dowry money so they can buy food for all their children.
How is the humanitarian crisis affecting Afghan girls and women specifically?
Restrictions on education and employment for women and girls have led to increased rates of child marriage, adolescent childbearing, and mental health issues. The lack of opportunities and rights for women significantly contributes to the overall humanitarian crisis.
World Vision is also deeply concerned by the limitations placed on girls’ and women’s access to education. Education is a fundamental right, including for adolescent girls and women. World Vision calls on the international community to make girls’ and women’s access to education a key priority in their engagement in Afghanistan. The safety and well-being of our staff and the people we serve are our priority.
Where is World Vision working in Afghanistan?
In addition to the earthquake-devastated communities in Herat, we’re also serving children and families in the northwestern provinces of Badghis, Faryab, and Ghor — over 4,184 villages combined. Through our long-standing partnership with local community leaders in Afghanistan for many years, we’ve been able to respond to crises and equip these communities to create positive, sustainable change.
How many people has World Vision supported in Afghanistan?
Between October 2022 and September 2023, World Vision reached over 2.9 million people across four provinces. Thanks to our partnerships with donors and communities, we have been able to:
- Provide lifesaving care to 778,181 people, including 292,969 children.
- Deliver food, cash, and livelihood assistance to 1,008,462 people, including 542,220 children.
- Ensure access to clean water and hygiene services for 137,126 people, including 64,077 children.
- Offer education services to 141,858 people, including 127,773 children.
- Extend protection support to 26,819 people, including 15,497 children.
How can I help Afghan children and their families?
- Raise your voice: Join us in calling on Congress to help vulnerable, displaced Afghan families with basic needs and services through organizations committed to staying in Afghanistan — like World Vision.
- Give: World Vision is committed to serving the people of Afghanistan for the long term. Your gift will help deliver essential aid to vulnerable children and families.
