Save the Children in Afghanistan
We have been working in Afghanistan since 1976 to deliver lasting change to the lives of children across the country. We work closely with children, parents, teachers, village councils, religious leaders, government ministries, non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders. Our programmes focus on Education, Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Food Security and Livelihood, and Humanitarian Response.
We also help children learn by ensuring both girls and boys are in school. Our programmes provide the opportunity for children that have left school to access community-based education opportunities as well as return to the formal education system.
We provide quality healthcare and nutrition services to help children survive, especially in humanitarian contexts. We help build the capacity of health workers and support static and mobile health teams.
Together with our partners, we support and protect children that are especially vulnerable such as internally displaced children, returnees and children who are affected by climate change.
See where we work across the country:
Our impact for children : 2025 in Numbers
2,030,090
Total Direct Reach
1,527,173
Health and Nutrition
188,971
Education
97,538
Child Protection
315,284
Food Security and Livelihood
2030 BREAKTHROUGHS
Reza* is 13 years old and lives with his extended family – including his sister-in-law Leila* (25) and her four children –in a single room home made from mud in Jawzjan province, northern Afghanistan. Their community is very remote and can only be accessed via a sandy track. Sacha Myers / Save the Children
Samrin* is 30 years old. She’s four months pregnant with her sixth child. Samrin* was born in Pakistan, however, her entire family including her husband as well as her in-laws have been forced to return to Afghanistan since they didn’t have legal permission to live in Pakistan permanently. Samrin*s husband is a day labourer who hasn’t had regular work since they returned to Afghanistan. As such, the family is experiencing severe food insecurity and the parents struggle to buy nutritious food for their children. Samrin*s two-year-old daughter, Sara*, became malnourished as a result. This resulted in Samrin* taking her daughter to a health facility for treatment. Over the course of several months, Sara* was given Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and, now, the two-year-old girl is healthy. Samrin*, however, continues to suffer from kidney problems, anaemia, and skin disease. She’s receiving treatment for these health conditions, but they persist. Looking forward, Samrin* hopes that her family will be able to afford nutritious food so that they can become healthy and strong in the future. She hopes that they’ll continue receiving support from Save the Children at the health clinic located nearby. Save the Children has supported Samrin* by providing regular treatment for her kidney problems, anaemia, and skin disease. In addition, the 30-year-old mother has been receiving monthly pre-natal check-ups for her pregnancy. Moreover, Save the Children treated Sara* for malnutrition by giving the two-year-old girl Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) over the course of several months until she became healthy again. Ummay Habiba / Save the Children
GET IN TOUCH
COUNTRY OFFICE ADDRESS
Kabul, Afghanistan
EMAIL
Afghanistan.ACCM@savethechildren.org
Impact Stories
1 Sep 2026
STAFF ACCOUNT: One year after the Afghanistan earthquake- “Families fear they will be forgotten”
On 31st August 2025, a deadly earthquake struck Eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving at least 220,000 in need of humanitarian assistance.
Hamidullah Momin leads Save the Children’s emergency response teams in Eastern Afghanistan, reaching more than 121,000 people since the earthquake.
Now a year on from the earthquake that stole everything from thousands of people, communities have not recovered.
14 May 2026
Muskan*’s Journey Toward Better Health
Seven-month-old Muskan* from northern Afghanistan received timely treatment for severe acute malnutrition thanks to an IHA MAPLE-funded Save the Children health facility, leading to significant improvement in her health as she continues her recovery.
14 May 2026
Awareness That Saves Lives: Protecting Children from Explosive Hazards
In a remote village in northern Afghanistan affected by explosive remnants of war, Save the Children, with support from the Security and Rule of Law (NL–SROL) programme, provided mine risk awareness training to children and communities.