Following the change of government in August 2021, NAC increased its humanitarian response to address the growing economic crises and extreme poverty affecting the Afghan people.
Unfortunately, little changed in 2022 to improve the situation for most Afghans, and humanitarian support remains a lifeline for most, especially for families living in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Pictured to the right: Winterization support to an orphanage in Badakhshan. The support included firewood to keep the housing-facilities warm.
Linking short- and long-term interventions
NAC also received support from multiple donors to expand our agro-based infrastructure programs, which not only provide temporary employment for under- and unemployed community members but also ensure improved use of water and land, which is crucial for smallholder farmers.
In 2022, NAC implemented 99 protective and productive infrastructure projects, providing 4 097 temporary jobs and improved livelihoods and food security for 38 428 people in our partner communities. The linkage between short-term humanitarian response with longer-term development programs proved effective.
Improved livelihoods
The Endline Review of the first phase of NAC’s Empowering Rural Afghanistan (ERA) program showed that despite the effect of political, social, and economic crises, including the emergency food crisis and natural disasters, the communities supported under the ERA-program have had better food security than other communities without such support.
The review showed that 76% of beneficiaries of ERA I’s livelihoods activities had either a borderline or acceptable food consumption score (FCS). This is in stark contrast to WFP’s March 2022 Afghanistan Food Security Update that showed about 36% in the same group in March 2022.
The need for humanitarian support throughout the country remains at extremely high levels in 2023. NAC will therefore continue to respond to the vast humanitarian needs in Afghanistan while also providing long-term development assistance to support rural development and improve resilience in rural and hard-to-reach communities throughout Afghanistan.
