GET INVOLVED / UNHCR Shelter Program in Afghanistan: Matching Gift Campaign for 2012

The Khaled Hosseini Foundation is sponsoring a matching gift campaign for the UNHCR's Shelter Program in Afghanistan. The main objective of the program is to provide shelter packages that include essential construction materials, such as tools, roofing beams, doors and windows. With average low temperatures in Afghanistan at 25.5 degrees Fahrenheit for the five months from November through March and with January lows of 19.2 degrees Fahrenheit, shelter is of the utmost importance for refugees often living in tents or other sub-standard public buildings.

Nearly 5 million Afghans have returned to their homeland since 2002 from Pakistan and Iran. It is estimated that during the last 25 years of conflict more than 500,000 homes were either partially or totally destroyed. Since the inception of the UNHCR's shelter program in 2002, they have been able to provide over 215,000 shelters, benefiting more than one million Afghans.

The shelter program is designed to give priority to the most vulnerable families in need, including families headed by females, elderly or disabled persons, or families with very low incomes, as well as others who cannot build their homes on their own.

The cost of a shelter varies given foreign exchange fluctuations and costs of materials. Currently the cost is $2,100 (USD).

Your donation could help a family survive the bitter cold of winter in an unforgiving terrain. See within for a link to the UNHCR's shelter program pamphlet for more information

Donations of any size are greatly appreciated and will make an important difference to those who so desperately need our help. EVERY dollar makes a difference!

Make a donation to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation's UNHCR Shelter Program campaign