Our Response in Afghanistan Continues

Last month’s earthquake has left many families in Afghanistan still living in tents. Our All Hands & Hearts local team has distributed another round of essential survival items as families camp out in the open with increasingly cold mountain temperatures. Entire communities have been displaced, with hundreds of families now living in tents at makeshift camps with little to no aid.

At the end of September, our team reached one of the hardest-hit camps in Patan village, where nearly 850 families are struggling to survive. Over 380 families were from Patan, and the rest displaced from three surrounding villages that were completely destroyed.

“The houses are either destroyed or so damaged, people are afraid to sleep in them,” Azmat, a resident of Patan village and earthquake survivor, told us.

Azmat shared heartfelt appreciation for the aid received through AH&H, commenting that little to no aid had reached the area since the earthquake.

Our team personally delivered food, stoves and other essential supplies directly into the hands of families who had been overlooked until now.

Each earthquake-affected household received a cooking stove with fuel, along with staples like flour, rice and cooking oil, enough to prepare warm meals for at least three months. In addition, every family was given a wood stove to help them face the winter ahead with safety, warmth and dignity.

Local residents, despite suffering unbelievable loss of life and infrastructure, shared their heartfelt welcome and gratitude, saying this was the first time aid had arrived, apart from a few small tents. 

Still, with winter rapidly approaching, families urgently need warm clothing, durable shelter and continued relief to endure the months ahead.