“It hasn’t yet happened, and yet you know it is just around the corner.” - John Simpson, BBC journalist, reports emotionally on the threat of famine in Afghanistan, November 2021.
The crisis in Afghanistan:
Forty years of war, recurrent natural disasters, chronic poverty, and the COVID-19 pandemic have left more than 23 million people in Afghanistan in need of humanitarian assistance; 95% of Afghan households are not eating enough food and 5 million children are near starvation.
The UN has warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis; the situation has worsened since the Taliban seized power in August and is now set to exceed even the terrible misery in Yemen. With drought, displacement, and the imminent threat of a bitter winter where temperatures regularly drop to below -7℃, there is potential for 1 million children to die of malnutrition. Please donate now to ensure that their lives can be saved.
The impoverished country, which has been ravaged by 42 years of war, is now in a catastrophic economic crisis, with people selling assets and begging for bread to stay alive. Families in Afghanistan are being forced to sell their children to pay off debts, as the country's economy teeters on the edge of total collapse.
The ACAA's work in Afghanistan:
The ACAA has been providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since 2013, with branches in 24 of the country’s 34 provinces, 30 members of staff, and hundreds of volunteers. Our team have been visiting IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps since August 2021 to assess the needs of the displaced families, and hear people’s stories:
Marzia:
“I used to work as a house-cleaner, earning 50p a day in Samangan province. When the fighting started, we were kicked out of our homes and we moved to Kabul, with no money or belongings. I borrowed £300 from someone to feed my family and now can’t pay him back. I am forced to sell my three-year-old daughter to survive”
Abdul:
“We have nothing. We sold all our belongings to buy food for my children. We have no home. I used to be a government employee but haven’t received a salary since July 2021. I am terrified my 6-month baby won’t survive and I have no money to feed my family. We are desperate”
What will my donation go towards?
Your generosity will provide direct humanitarian aid to Afghan families in the form of cash, allowing those in desperate need to acquire essential life-saving goods such as cooking fuel, food, shelter, and sanitation supplies.
All donations will be directed through Western Union transfer to ACAA’s trusted former staff in Afghanistan who, until the Taliban took over the country, had worked with us for several years. This will ensure that there is no potential for interception by the Taliban government, who have control over regular bank transactions. The ACAA will ensure that your gift is received by those who need it the very most.
This appeal follows an earlier ACAA fundraiser which collected and distributed donations to help newly arrived refugees in the UK. In contrast, this fresh appeal is for donations that will be spent on the ground in Afghanistan. Your support could ensure that one more child is protected against famine.
Instead of giving your loved ones Christmas presents this year, why not give an Afghan family the gift of life?
- £25 provides an emergency food parcel for one family
- £33 provides food for one child for three weeks
- £60 provides two families with emergency shelter kits
- £100 provides 50 displaced people with a cooked meal
Just one person dying from hunger is one person too many. Millions in Afghanistan are in the grip of a humanitarian disaster – if you can help them, please donate now.