Can you believe that it’s been three years since the Taliban’s violent takeover of Afghanistan?
In the past 36 months, 3.4 million people have lost their homes and livelihoods. They now live in camps with other internally displaced people … and they’re in desperate need of emergency supplies.
“Afghanistan has been in the midst of one of the world’s most complex, severe, and persistent humanitarian crises,” our Afghan partner said.
Here’s what’s happened over the last three years:
Economic Sanctions Against the Taliban
3 out of 10 children face emergency levels of hunger in Afghanistan
Before the Taliban’s takeover, 75 percent of Afghanistan’s economy was dependent on foreign assistance.
“After the Taliban took control of the country on August 15, 2021, donor governments, led by the US, instructed the World Bank to cut off about $2 billion in outside international assistance,” Human Rights Watch said.
That $2 billion was used to pay the salaries of essential workers like teachers, healthcare professionals, and more. Without a steady source of income, the people who relied on those funds couldn’t afford to buy essentials like food for their loved ones.
Three years later, more than half of the population experiences extreme levels of hunger and malnutrition.
Influx of Natural Disasters
33 out of 34 provinces in Afghanistan have suffered from a natural disaster in 2024
Afghanistan is prone to natural disasters such as flash floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts. According to the OCHA, “On average such disasters affect 200,000 people every year.”
Last October, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 1,500 people and injured countless more in Western Afghanistan. Just recently, a flash flood in the nation’s capital killed 240 Afghans, 51 of which were children.
Whenever another natural disaster strikes, even more families are pushed deeper into poverty.
Afghan Refugees Returning from Pakistan
Returning refugees often resettle in large displacement camps
In the face of uncertainty, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled to Pakistan when the Taliban initially took control. But in October 2023, Pakistan’s government announced the implementation of the “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan.”
The legislation states that refugees without proper documentation will be deported. However, there have been reports that all Afghans — without or without legal status — are subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrests, and deportation.
Since October, more than 600,000 refugees have returned to Afghanistan, creating an even greater need for humanitarian aid.
Violation of Women’s Rights
Women’s rights have backslid 20 years since the Taliban’s violent takeover
In the past three years, the Taliban has issued over 80 mandates — and over half of them are directed at women and girls.
The Taliban has forbidden women from working in many industries such as civil engineering, agriculture, journalism, and more. The Taliban also closed all beauty salons, putting many women out of work
Girls are no longer permitted to go to school after sixth grade, either. They aren’t welcome in public spaces like parks or gyms. If a woman leaves the house, she must be covered from head to toe and have a male chaperone with her.
The extreme oppression of women in Afghanistan has left girls like Damsa feeling like a bird trapped in a cage.
How You Can Help
Your gift will provide help and hope to people in need worldwide
Displaced people in Afghanistan and other high-conflict areas worldwide are in desperate need of essentials like food, clean water, and medical care.
Their lives are literally on the line … and if someone doesn’t step in soon, they might not even survive to see the end of the summer.
Will you help a refugee or displaced person in need today?
For just $35, you can provide a week’s worth of emergency supplies to someone in Afghanistan or another war-torn country.
Please give your best gift now to help transform the life of a refugee or displaced person.