Help us deliver vital aid in Afghanistan; donate now
Over 90% of households do not have enough to eat in Afghanistan
Decades of conflict and repeated natural disasters have left at least 28 million people (two thirds of the population) in need of urgent humanitarian assistance:
• Only 42% of households have access to basic drinking water, particularly in rural areas.
• Only 50% of healthcare facilities in Afghanistan are fully functional, which has a widespread impact on the nation’s health. Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
• Congenital heart defects are a huge health issue in Afghanistan, with an estimated 8-10 per 1,000 live births.
• The country suffers from earthquakes and flash floods. In October 2023, a series of earthquakes hit western Afghanistan near Herat city. It killed over 2,000 people and injured more than 9,000.
The country is now facing a fifth year of drought-like conditions affecting more than 25 million people and a fourth year of crippling economic decline.
The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) has been on the ground supporting people for 30 years and continues to provide aid to people across the country. The people of Afghanistan desperately need your support, please donate to the Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.
What is the Red Cross doing to help people in Afghanistan?
Local Afghan Red Crescent teams are in the country, providing disaster healthcare services, water and hygiene services and community resilience programmes. They responded immediately to the 2023 earthquakes in the Herat province, helping with search and rescue efforts
Through our ongoing work in the country, teams have:
• Established 47 healthcare clinics
• Set up a 70-bed hospital in Kabul
• Provided ongoing treatment for heart disease
• Set up cash voucher assistance for those affected by drought and food insecurity.
Most recently, ARCS played a crucial role in response to population movement by becoming the first responder at the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As of May 2025, their support included:
• Providing shelters to 9,297 families in Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces.
• Distributing 3,000 hot meals daily at border camps
• Delivering essential health services to 9,700 individuals in April and May
• Installing 60 portable toilets and providing 650 sanitary kits
• Providing mental health support to over 3,000 individuals focusing on vulnerable groups like women and children
Your support is desperately needed. Please donate today, if you can to the Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.
How to help people affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan
The situation in Afghanistan is desperate. The best and quickest way to help support people is to donate to our appeal. Donations will go towards helping people that need our support the most. Your donation will help us deliver food, water, and basic medical supplies, as well as continuing to help people rebuild their lives after the earthquakes.
Donate today Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.
Over three decades of support for Afghanistan
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been helping the people of Afghanistan for over 30 years.
Our teams are on the ground in all 34 of the country's provinces – including isolated rural areas – providing essential relief and supporting hospitals and medical facilities.
We have 140 health teams, including 70 mobile teams who cover the entire country, providing primary healthcare such as routine immunisations in areas other agencies are unable to reach.
We are also committed to providing longer-term support in Afghanistan, particularly to women and girls.
Our network of staff and 40,000 volunteers are working hard to support families through the multiple crises they’re facing right now.