How can I help Afghanistan? What you can do in UK to help Afghans and refugees - as Taliban takes over country

Civilians have expressed their fears over whether the country will return to extreme Sharia laws under Taliban rule, including denying women and girls from being educated
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Civilians in Afghanistan face growing conflict across the country, as the Taliban reclaim power and foreign forces pull military personnel out of the country.

As US and UK governments focus their efforts on flying aid workers, diplomats and some refugees to safety, many Afghans fear the resurgence of strict Sharia laws and oppression.

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Media have been reporting on the conflict in Afghanistan and you may be asking what you can do to support charities and organisations operating in the country to support those left displaced or caught up in the Taliban’s violence.

Here is a list of reputable charities and other organisations working in Afghanistan to provide essential food, shelter and medical assistance for innocent Afghans.

Afghanaid

Afghanaid has already supported nearly 1.25 million Afghan civilians this year.

The charity provides emergency food parcels to people facing drought, homes for Afghan children displaced by conflict and helps communities rebuild in the aftermath of economic recession.

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Afghanaid has described the current situation in Afghanistan as ‘tremendously uncertain,’ as the Taliban reclaims Kabul.

You can support Afghanaid by donating any amount of money.

The charity highlights that £39 would pay for double layered blankets to keep a family warm, £58 would purchase a kitchen and hygiene kit for a family, so they can keep clean, healthy and safe.

Unicef

Worldwide charity UNICEF is working in Afghanistan to offer emergency relief in Kabul, Kandahar and other vastly populated areas which have been overtaken by Taliban soldiers.

The charity claims 14 million people are at risk of food poverty in the country, currently the charity can only reach 1.5 of those in need.

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Of those, 7.4 million are children and only 1.1 are being provided with aid.

Unicef states on its website that it needs over £1 million to help all of those impacted by the ongoing conflict, drought and economic uncertainty in Afghanistan.

The charity is currently trying to offer medical relief such as vaccinations, food packages and fresh drinking water to communities.

You can support the charity by donating to its emergency fund. 

  • £7 each month could help provide life-saving rehydration salts to treat 20 children.
  • £15 each month could help protect 100 children from polio.
  • £27 each month could help provide over 600 children with clean water.

Save the Children - emergency appeal

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Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 19786, providing charity to families affected by poverty, drought and conflict.

At present, the charity is asking people to donate to its emergency relief appeal to support children displaced by the ongoing conflict.

Save the Children provided health, education, child protection, nutrition and livelihoods services, reaching over 1.6 million Afghan’s in 2020.

To support, you can donate online. The charity has outlined:

  • £7 would help purchase 100 oral rehydration salts that help to treat diarrhoea.
  • £24 could provide targeted support to a vulnerable or unaccompanied child.
  • £111 could train a community volunteer on hygiene promotion techniques to pass on public health. 

Islamic Relief UK

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Islamic Relief UK has been working to support families affected by the ongoing conflict in the country.

It has built connections in Afghanistan since the charity began working there 20 years ago and recently delivered over 13,000 food parcels to Afghan civilians caught up in the political despair.

Islamic Relief claims that since July, over 10,000 displaced people have officially arrived in the capital Kabul, and thousands more are reportedly staying in the open in different parts of the city making them especially vulnerable.

Islamic Relief Afghanistan is on the ground and has launched an emergency response, but the charity is appealing for support to help its efforts. 

  • £50 can provide hygiene and water storage kits for a displaced family in Afghanistan
  • £100 can provide a food pack for a displaced family in Afghanistan for a month
  • £550 can provide a displaced family with emergency shelter in Afghanistan

WorldVision

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World Vision NZ is appealing for immediate charitable donations to support its efforts in tackling lack of education, food and poor living conditions in Afghanistan.

The charity is also extending its work to save young girls from child marriage and rape.

On the charity’s website, it sys: “We urgently need your help to protect vulnerable children in Afghanistan affected by conflict, natural disasters and harmful cultural norms.

“Millions of parents and caregivers have lost incomes and jobs due to COVID-19, forcing them into dire situations, and exposing their children to dangerous situations such as child marriage.”

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You can donate to the charity with a one-off payment, monthly donations or by sponsoring a child.

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