Children and families in Afghanistan are facing a growing humanitarian crisis, the result of decades of conflict, chronic poverty, and recurrent natural disasters. The dire situation includes a hunger crisis, a near-collapse of the health system, devastation to schools, and the destruction of family livelihoods.
On October 7, 2023, powerful earthquakes compounded these challenges in the western part of the country. At least 2,000 people lost their lives in the deadliest tremors to strike this earthquake-prone, mountainous region in years. The earthquakes struck about 25 miles northwest of the city of Herat, with one registering a magnitude 6.3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
These earthquakes in Afghanistan were among the deadliest earthquakes around the world in 2023, following February earthquakes in southern Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye) and Syria, which claimed an estimated 55,000 lives.
World Vision is actively conducting assessments in our four program areas within the Herat province to determine the impact of the disaster on these communities. Our dedicated staff and mobile health units are positioned in some of the hardest-hit areas. Communities in our other program areas in Afghanistan, including neighboring Badghis, were not affected. Our hearts grieve for the loss of lives, including many children, and the injured.
What’s World Vision doing to help Afghan people impacted by the earthquakes?
World Vision continues its life-saving mobile health and nutrition projects as we gain access to areas with the greatest need. However, the devastation has created tremendous challenges, as rocks and rubble have blocked roads, making access difficult. In addition to these challenges, many World Vision staff and their families are in shock.
Our team and staff, responsible for operating 10 of our mobile health clinics, are working tirelessly in areas most severely affected by the earthquakes. Within a day of the October 2023 earthquakes, we distributed 300 non-food item kits to people impacted by the emergency. World Vision’s response will grow to include a focus on food, WASH, and child protection interventions.
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