Afghanistan: A year of responding to numerous humanitarian challenges

The plight of vulnerable groups, including women, children and people with disabilities, is particularly concerning. This alarming situation requires sustained international attention and long-term support to ensure that essential assistance reaches those in need.

- Katharina Ritz, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Head of delegation in Afghanistan.

This selection of pictures captures the resilience and strength of the people of Afghanistan in the face of unrelenting challenges. Through a series of images and stories, we highlight the immense humanitarian needs faced across the country and the efforts of our teams to provide essential aid, support services and hope to communities.

Afghanistan remains one of the country’s most vulnerable to explosive hazards, which pose great risks to communities. In 2024, as per the ICRC’s records, 455 civilians (of which 359 were children) suffered fatalities or injuries in 234 incidents linked to explosive hazards. Together with the ARCS, our teams conducted several risk awareness and safer behaviour sessions across the country, reaching out to more than 240,000 people, more than half of whom were children, in weapon contaminated areas.

Access to safe drinking water has long been a challenge for communities in Afghanistan, notably in densely populated areas. "The water supply is unreliable, and the underground water level has significantly declined. Sometimes, water is only available late at night, around 10 or 11pm, with no set schedule for it," said Mohammad Noman, a Kabul resident, highlighting the inefficiencies of the existing water supply system. This unpredictability underscores the urgent need for improving infrastructure and for a more sustainable water management system to better serve the requirements of the communitie.

To improve access to clean drinking water, the ICRC supports the renovation of infrastructure across Afghanistan. In 2024, our teams successfully repaired 1,247 existing hand pumps across 9 districts. These efforts have directly improved water accessibility for over 170,000 people, contributing to better public health, including reducing the risk of waterborne diseases. 

In 2024, heavy rainfalls and severe flash floods affected over 119,160 people across 32 provinces, destroying or damaging over 6,800 homes and causing significant damage to about 64,500 acres of crops. At least 225 people died, with thousands more injured or displaced. 

The ICRC, in partnership with the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), provided financial assistance to communities affected by flash floods. The ARCS distributed hot meals, blankets, tents and hygiene items to meet the most urgent needs of people who were displaced and evacuated following the floods. We also raised awareness on the potential presence of explosive hazards, that may have been scattered across unexpected areas due to the floods, with the aim of mitigating potential harm to civilians in the flood-affected areas.

The Mirwais Regional Hospital struggled for years with unreliable electricity supply, which severely impacted the delivery of health care to communities not just in Kandahar province but also in the surrounding provinces. Earlier, the hospital would receive only five to nine hours of substandard electricity supply in a day. To overcome this challenge, the ICRC implemented two major projects – constructed a dedicated 5.5-kilometre long medium-voltage power line which connected the hospital to the city’s main power grid and installed a 550 kWAC hybrid solar system. These projects have ensured an uninterrupted supply of clean energy thus enhancing patient care and reducing the environmental impact.

"Electricity is crucial for incubators, as they maintain a stable temperature akin to the mother's womb. These machines are indispensable for the survival of premature infants. In this ward, a consistent power supply is essential; without it, their survival is challenging," explained Sweeta, a nurse in the paediatric ward of Mirwais Regional Hospital.

The ICRC supports 46 ARCS-run basic health-care centres, which provide access to common disease prevention and treatment to a million people, primarily focusing on women and children in rural and urban areas. This has not only helped save lives but also relieved the pressure on the already overburdened secondary health-care system.

It has become an everyday routine for a despairing 76-year-old Aqa Mohammad to join the long queue of daily wage workers hoping to secure work in the heart of Kabul. "I go to the market, hoping someone hires me for the day. On rare days, I manage to earn something, but often, I return home with an empty stomach," he said, expressing the daily struggle and uncertainty he endures in order to support his loved ones as the sole provider for his family.

The rebuilding project improved the supply of drinking water and the irrigation infrastructure for over 5,200 households. Through our cash-for-work programme, the project also provided short-term employment and income to more than 350 people from the local community. 

Across the country, in 2024, the ICRC implemented 15 programmes in 11 provinces resulting in short-term employment and financial compensation for over 24,000 individuals.

Witnessing his sons’ progress after receiving treatment at the ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation facility, their father, Matiuallah, feels more hopeful now. "I was terrified for my boys. Watching them crawl painfully on their chests shattered me. But now, seeing the strength slowly returning to their legs, I witness small but powerful steps towards healing. This is exactly what I had prayed for before coming here.". 

The ICRC operates its largest physical rehabilitation programme in Afghanistan, with seven centres across the country providing vital physical and social rehabilitation support to over 200,000 people with disabilities each year.

"After losing my husband in Afghanistan’s past conflicts, I struggle to make ends meet, as the sole breadwinner, living in a rented house with my five children. With winter approaching, we can't afford heating materials and burn trash to stay warm. Battling severe hypertension, I weave carpets with my children, earning AFN 5,000 every three months – a meagre income for survival," said Seqida, a Kabul resident.

For the past 40 years, the ICRC has been visiting prison facilities in Afghanistan in compliance with our humanitarian mandate. As part of our detention-related activities, we have been maintaining a dialogue with the authorities to promote humane living conditions for detainees and the dignified treatment of people deprived of their liberty. Our teams work to improve detainees’ living conditions by providing winter, hygiene, educational and recreational items. We also provide technical support and expertise to help prison staff improve prison management systems and uphold detainees' rights, including access to essential services. Our efforts include helping detainees restore and maintain contact with their loved ones. Moreover, we promote the respect for basic judicial guarantees. 

"People kept reassuring us, saying, 'Your son is alive and healthy, perhaps you are overthinking. But I couldn’t believe it. I was convinced that he had died because I hadn’t been able to contact my 15-year-old son for a long time. It was hard to accept when you cannot communicate with someone for that much time, it feels like they are gone forever. Then, after three long years, the ICRC told me they had found him, safe and well. When I finally spoke to him, it was as if he had been reborn. My whole family is incredibly grateful for everything the ICRC did to find my son.".