Grandmother Laili Mah (50) attends Hazar Somoch health clinic with her granddaughter Hafsa (2)

When childbirth is deadly, it's all our concern

Afghanistan is a dangerous place to be a baby, child, or mother

Barriers to accessing healthcare put the lives of mothers and newborns at extreme risk.

Afghanistan is a dangerous place to be a baby, child, or mother
Few clinics and long, difficult journeys leave livesaving care out of reach
Many newborns arrive dangerously ill
Your donation supports women-led health clinics

Every two hours, a woman in Afghanistan dies from pregnancy-related complications

Barriers in Afghanistan turn pregnancy into a life-threatening journey and leave thousands of babies and mothers without the urgent care they need to survive.

After decades of conflict and instability, the few remaining hospitals are dangerously out of reach. For pregnant women, movement restrictions and a shortage of female health workers mean the difference between life and death.

Hunger remains a constant threat, putting expectant mothers and their babies at risk even after birth.

In north-east Afghanistan, an incredibly remote part of the country, Concern has built eight health clinics providing essential services to local communities.

Courageous female medical staff—many recruited from the communities they serve—are trained, equipped, and supported by Concern. In just one year, more than 500 babies were safely delivered, and over 60,000 women and children treated in these clinics.

But soon after these clinics were opened, an unjust 40% aid cut put this lifeline at risk.

Thanks to your support, they remain beacons of hope, offering safe deliveries, emergency malnutrition treatment, vaccinations, antenatal care, and ongoing health monitoring.

By keeping these women-run clinics open, donors help empower Afghan women who are already providing extraordinary lifesaving care every day.

Malalai* and Yaser's story

Malalai*(30) visits the Concern health clinic with her son, Yaser (1). Photo: Nava Jamshidi/Concern Worldwide

*Name changed for security reasons

Malalai is a 30 year old mother in a remote area of Afghanistan. Like many in her community, her husband works in the gold mines but pay is based on how much they find. There are some weeks her husband goes without pay entirely and the family live only on tea and bread. “Sometimes my children go to bed hungry. We know what it means to be hungry.”

When we met Malalai and her son Yaser at Concern's health clinic, Yaser was severely underweight and was diagnosed with acute malnutrition. The staff explained that between this and the hardships Malalai went through while pregnant, he had likely been malnourished since before birth.

Yaser (1) receiving medication at the Concern Clinic.

The doctors discovered that Yaser was suffering from severe acute malnutrition. He is now receiving treatment and medication. Photo: Nava Jamshidi/Concern Worldwide

Thankfully, Yaser was started on a course of emergency therapeutic food and has visibly improved – gaining weight and becoming more lively. Malalai and Yaser's story is far from unique. In Afghanistan, young women across remote districts face deadly pregnancy risks, especially where skilled care is scarce.

With your support, the Afghan women running these clinics can help more babies survive and thrive.

I stand with the women of Afghanistan