WHO ARE WE?
Action for Development provides vital health and education services in Afghanistan to the most marginalized and vulnerable individuals through cost-effective, cascade-model projects that allow for community participation and empowerment.
We runs projects in midwifery capacity-building, education for street children as well as children with disabilities, while continuing to provide health services through its Comprehensive Health Center and training for health professionals. In addition to development projects, AfD also provides emergency aid in response to natural disasters.
OUR PROJECTS
Afghanistan At a glance
Where beauty and tradition meet poverty and injustice
Afghanistan is a country rich in natural beauty and millennial history. At the crossroads of commercial routes connecting ancient empires, it was a hub of economic and cultural exchange.
Unfortunately, the country has been devastated by decades of war. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, a group of Afghan professionals founded Action for Development with the intention of assisting the local population in the reconstruction efforts.
Between 2001 and 2020, Afghanistan made remarkable achievements; infant mortality dropped from 25% to 10%, the majority of Afghans had access to basic healthcare, women and girls rights were improving, even if slowly, on an international level. Today, these advancements threaten to be wiped out: women and girls in Afghanistan particularly need our support.
Today, a staggering 97% of Afghans live under the national poverty line, up from 47% in 2020. Since the return of the Taliban, international donors have suspended most non-humanitarian funding and have frozen billions of dollars in assets, having a devastating impact on Afghans. Droughts and other natural disasters have also exacerbated these rates.
83% of maternal mortality could be avoided through healthcare and medical training. The ban on women’s education prevents women from getting access to healthcare and the increasing poverty rates put a strain on the already overburdened public health care system in the country. Today, the healthcare sector faced an even more serious depletion in human resources.
70% of women aged 15 or more do not have basic literacy skills. These rates are one of the lowest worldwide. The current ban on education in Afghanistan will undoubtably have a hugely negative impact on these numbers.
A rising number of Afghans continue to migrate to the cities in search of better opportunities. This has caused a large 73% of Afghans from urban areas to live in slums.
How is AfD responding to the current Humanitarian Crisis?
Despite the evolving humanitarian crisis, Action for Development continues to assist the country’s most vulnerable populations on the field, with its various, targeted, projects.
Our cascade-model approach to project management and our continued presence on the field allows us to respond and adapt to the situation with sensitivity and continue our work.