Read our 2019 annual report
Why are we in Afghanistan? Concern has worked in Afghanistan since responding to a major earthquake in 1998. Today, Afghanistan continues to face one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world. Prolonged poverty, recurring environmental disasters and insecurity pose significant challenges to Afghans, with lasting political, economic and social implications. Concern is responding with emergency, resilience and long-term development programming.
*We are currently responding to the threat of COVID-19 in Afghanistan. Find out more about our response here.
Despite development advances in recent years, Afghanistan remains an extremely volatile and fragile country following nearly four decades of instability. Violence continues to undermine the country’s development, with almost two thirds of the Afghan population living in areas directly affected by conflict, prompting ongoing internal displacement that erodes people’s resources and coping mechanisms over time.
These challenges are compounded by the limited capacity of communities, government and humanitarian actors to withstand the impact of repeated natural disasters including floods, landslides, earthquakes and drought.
Emergency response
In September 2019, Concern became the UN’s chosen partner for the emergency response to displacement in Northeast Afghanistan. We became camp lead at Dasth-e-Robat camp, where over 3,000 families were seeking refuge from conflict.
Education
Building resilience
We respond rapidly to emergencies, but we also build resilience so that communities are better prepared to withstand the shocks caused by climate change and on-going conflict. A commitment to social inclusion and gender equality is central to our work.
