Providing a lifeline for women affected by crisis

Afghanistan | 2024 | CBPF

Afghanistan, Baghdis. At fifty-five, Gul Jan is supporting her grandchildren. “I came here today to receive some cash,” she explains. “My grandchildren will be so happy, as I will buy them good food and clothes.”  

Afghanistan is experiencing the ongoing impact of decades of conflict, years of drought conditions, and chronic and continued poverty. The situation has worsened with the severe economic decline since the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

Water scarcity, poor food security, and health, nutrition, shelter, and education-related needs all remain high. And in 2024, an estimated 23.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance to survive. 

The cash project in Baghdis province that is helping Gul Jan and her family is supported by the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. And it is women who are managing the cash distributions to female-headed households, thereby creating a safe and accessible space for recipients.

Restrictions on women’s work and freedom continued to tighten during 2023, with implications for education, healthcare, and other sectors: yet, throughout Afghanistan, the role of female aid workers in humanitarian response remains critical.

For many women like Gul Jan, being able to interact with a woman service provider is critical to feeling safe.

Launched in 2014, the OCHA-managed Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) has become a cornerstone of humanitarian response in the country, exceeding US$1 billion in disbursements in the last ten years.  

In the past decade, the AHF has supported Afghan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and women-led organizations to empower and enable the country’s worst-affected communities.

Adapted from an original story from OCHA – read more about the work of the AHF.

For more information: visit the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund web site, and for real-time contribution and allocation data go to the Pooled Funds Data Hub.