Afghanistan

Schoolgirls in Afghanistan

Despite some improvements over the last 12 years, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world, affected by decades of conflict and disasters.

It is estimated that 36 per cent of all Afghan’s live below the poverty line, or nine million people who can not meet their most basic needs. One out of every five Afghan children will not live to see their fifth birthday and Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

Government institutions are weak and struggle to deliver basic services. Women’s participation in public life is limited and Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. Only half of all school age children go to school, and the figure is considerably lower for girls, with only 38 per cent of all girls in the country attending any school at all. One in three Afghans continue to suffer from hunger.

Oxfam in Afghanistan

We provide aid to families affected by humanitarian crisis, supports rural development and sustainable livelihood programs and helps to raise Afghan’s voices by focusing on poverty alleviation, strengthening civil society organisations and changing policy.

Our projects focus around the themes of:

  • The right to be heard, good governance and accountability.
  • Gender justice such as inclusion of women in peace building, justice and women’s empowerment.
  • Saving lives through humanitarian response.
  • Sustainable food and fair distribution of natural resources in communities.
  • Education.

Aid makes the difference between life and death in Afghanistan, and over the last 11 years aid has improved the lives of millions of people in the country, despite the challenges. Specifically, aid to Afghanistan has helped 2.7 million girls enroll in school. More than 80 per cent of districts now have access to basic health care, and life expectancy in the country has risen dramatically from 47 to 62 years for men and 50 to 64 years for women.