Since August last year, Act for Peace supporters have raised $436,000 to help our local partner, Community World Service Asia (CWSA), provide emergency aid and assistance to the most crisis-affected Afghans.
Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has endured a deepening humanitarian crisis, with 95 per cent of households now without enough to eat. For families forced to flee their homes, your support has helped them to feed themselves and to get through the harsh winter in safety and with dignity.
In Afghanistan, 525 households in Nangarhar province have received emergency cash payments, essential medicine, and shelters for winter. More than 5,000 people have been able to access medicine for illnesses like malaria, diarrhoea, and COVID-19 symptoms. In the coming months, CWSA will extend this vital cash assistance program for another 710 households in Laghman province too.
In Pakistan, newly arrived refugee families − in fear for their lives, unable to speak the language and without documentation − have struggled to get help. CWSA has been able to identify 253 of the most vulnerable Afghani refugee households and support them with emergency cash payments. Families have been able to buy essentials like food and prioritise the health and educational needs of their children.
The story of a girl whose family had to flee Afghanistan
Ziba* is one of those children. Paralysed on her right side since birth, she requires regular physiotherapy. The day her family fled Afghanistan she was due to go to her usual appointment. “I never thought we would miss it due to leaving the country”, shared Ziba’s concerned father. In Pakistan, the family barely had enough money to eat, let alone for other expenses. With support from CWSA they have been able to pay for food and plan to continue Ziba’s physiotherapy at a nearby hospital.
Thank you for helping to make this possible. Together, we will continue to support CWSA as they create a safe place to belong for uprooted Afghan people.
On 22 June, a powerful earthquake struck south-east Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people. At the time of writing, our partner is assessing the situation and preparing to respond.
