Update on Emergency Food Distribution in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is plunging into an ever-deeper crisis. With the combination of ongoing political upheaval, and growing famine rooted in drought and exacerbated by recent turmoil and the usual harsh winter, nearly all of the families we work with are struggling. But the communities we work with are also incredibly resilient, and with your generous support, and the hard work and dedication of our over 200 Afghan staff, we are finding ways to continue to provide much-needed services – in health, education, and food distribution.

With your support, we have been distributing emergency food supplies to the families of weavers with whom we have worked for years. This effort has focused initially on Bamiyan in Afghanistan’s central highlands, where food insecurity is particularly severe (due to roads blocked by weather, temperatures ranging from -5C to -20C, fragile supply chains, and inflation and rising prices in local markets). We have already been able to reach people during the heart of a harsh and challenging winter – and these efforts will continue over the next six months. We have so far distributed a family package consisting of food staples and blankets to weaver households in Bamiyan (all on the basis of a needs-based assessment so that we could understand exactly what families want and need). These are weavers we usually work with, and due to the current political upheaval and closure of Kabul airport, fewer new carpet orders have been able to be put into production.

In addition, your generosity has allowed us to continue to run our primary schools and community health clinic – providing much-needed healthcare to individuals in extreme need. We are also continuing separately to pursue our longer-term mission, providing training and business support to artisans. This is particularly crucial for women (99% of the artisans we work within the carpet industry are women), who have the skills to be the breadwinners for their family, even during prolonged periods of uncertainty and instability, such as the pandemic and the current crisis. Cumulatively, these programmes support thousands of families. The food distributions and basic healthcare and education services in particular, which make an immense and immediate difference to families, would not be possible without your support.

Our Afghan and international staff remain fully engaged in supporting communities day in day out. But that work is only possible with your support and the support of others around the world.

Thank you so much again for your compassion, empathy and generosity.

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