We deliver basic services such as community infrastructure, clean water and sanitation, and education; essential to long-term development and breaking the cycle of poverty. Following decades of conflict and economic collapse, national capacity to provide these services is limited. Afghanaid plays an important role in filling these gaps for the people of Afghanistan.

 Community Infrastructure

We invest in community infrastructure that strengthens livelihoods, such as by irrigating land and building roads and bridges which link remote communities to markets; we improve community health by building hospitals and clinics; and we bring electricity to villages by building hydropower schemes.  

Over the last three years, we have maintained over 26,2 kilometres of roads, linking remote communities to markets. We have also built more than 500 micro-hydro and solar power plants, bringing electricity to remote villages.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Years of severe drought and repeated natural disasters have meant that the proportion of households experiencing barriers to accessing clean water increased to 60% in 2022, a sharp rise from 48% the previous year. Currently, 8 in 10 families are estimated to drink unsafe water.

We reduce preventable sickness and death by improving access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, and by raising awareness of good hygiene practices in communities and schools. For example, we recently delivered a three-year project to deliver clean water, sanitation infrastructure and hygiene education to villages and schools in Samangan province, reaching over 66,000 vulnerable people. The project resulted in:

• A reduction in the under-5 mortality rate from 160 deaths per 1000 children to 70 deaths per 1000 children.

• Improved school attendance as a result of fewer days missed due to sickness.

• Improved school attendance particularly among teenage girls due to the provision of proper, private toilets facilities.

During 2021, thousands of families were still recovering from COVID-19 and drought - the worst this century - which struck two thirds of the country and robbed millions of people of their livelihoods. In 2021, we assisted 52,811 families who had been affected by drought and COVID-19.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR WORK DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Education

We enable better access to education in poor and remote rural areas by building schools which are fit for purpose for girls and boys alike. This includes the provision of toilets, water wells, desks and chairs, as well as handwashing facilities to keep students healthy and improve school attendance. In the last six years, we have built 27 new schools and run 580 literacy training courses for women.

As well as providing services, we have established and continue to support over 3,750 community development councils to strengthen the capacity of communities to better manage their own development; improving the ability of vulnerable groups to access services and respond to community needs.

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