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Life is dire for children in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's children have endured decades of conflict and suffering, and we are gravely concerned for their safety and well-being.

Millions of children in Afghanistan are facing extreme hunger, exploitation, a loss of their education, and endless disease outbreaks. It’s a humanitarian catastrophe. 14 million children are in need of support.

Families are taking desperate measures to survive. Parents are withdrawing their children from school and sending them to work. Children are sold to cover debts or to buy food for other children in the family. It’s a heart-breaking dilemma for parents but they are left with little choice.

Children are sad, worried and scared, but they haven’t lost hope. Now is not the time to turn our backs on Afghanistan’s children.

We have been helping children in Afghanistan for over 40 years. We won't stop now.

10-year-old Nargis*.

Three years ago, 10-year-old Nargis* and her family fled to Kabul after fighting broke out in their province and their home was hit by a rocket. Nargis’ mother, Maryam*, tells us her children were were scared to go outside and had nightmares.
 
Nargis attended Save the Children’s community-based classes and is studying hard because she wants to become a doctor. The classes have helped Nargis to adapt to her new life and to recover from the trauma she experienced. Her mother, Maryam, didn’t have the chance to go to school and is determined her daughters will receive an education so they can advocate for their rights.
 
We have been running more than 3,300 community-based education classes across the country to support children who don’t have access to formal schools.
These classes not only develop children’s numeracy and literacy skills, but they also offer a place of refuge, which is critical for children who have experienced conflict or faced traumatic experiences in this crisis.

Our work in Afghanistan.

Save the Children is gravely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of children in Afghanistan. Crippling drought and the economic crisis are the key drivers pushing Afghanistan to the brink of collapse, with food prices, unemployment and poverty skyrocketing.

Children are going to bed hungry night after night. They’re exhausted and wasting away. They are unable to play, learn and just be children.

All children have a right to live in a world free from violence, to be able to go to school, to play with their friends and feel safe within their families and communities. But, children in Afghanistan have known nothing but conflict.  

We have been working in Afghanistan since 1976 to deliver life-saving services to children and their families.

Since the Taliban banned women from working for any international or national non-government organisations in Afghanistan, Save the Children has had to pause its programme activities because women are essential for the safe and effective delivery of our services. We can only keep children safe, provide life-saving healthcare, and provide children with opportunities to learn and develop with the help of our female colleagues.

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