There is an abundance of need in our world right now and as much as we would like to, unfortunately we cannot impact every humanitarian crisis. However, we can share how you have helped and continue to help vulnerable Afghans.
Your support in 2021 allowed us to provide over $312,000 to programs providing education, healthcare, resettlement / refugee assistance to women and children in Afghanistan, and emergency aid to vulnerable Afghans in Afghanistan, as well as recently arrived refugees to the United States.
To date this year your support has provided $125,000 in emergency aid to help alleviate the widespread food insecurity, which is expected to lead to starvation for more than half the population in Afghanistan, as well as providing essential healthcare services.
UNICEF estimates that in Afghanistan, over 60 percent of the population lives in poverty, while 56 percent of children lack basic necessities such as education, health care, nutrition, or safe water. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that 23 million people are now facing extreme levels of hunger, half of whom are children. The need has never been greater for families in Afghanistan, but your generosity has allowed us to help support these families by providing essential humanitarian services.
Meet one such family
Your support made it possible for Hussna's parents to get her treated at one of EMERGENCY's hospitals after she was shot by a stray bullet while outside her home.
Manuela, an EMERGENCY staff member at their Kabul Surgical Center, shared the below accounting of how Hussna was shot. We are grateful to be able to share this in Manuela's own words.
“It was late afternoon and fighting seemed to have stopped. That’s why we all decided to go out into the yard.”
These were Golali’s first words when she spoke to me about her daughter, Hussna. “We were outside planning to have dinner, when suddenly the fighting started again, right by our own house. That’s how Hussna was hit by a bullet.”
Hussna and her family come from Baghlan Province, north of Kabul. Her dad drove for seven hours to bring her to our hospital. I look at her and ask myself how she can bear the pain of those wounds. She is so young, just 13 months old.
Although Hussna is now safe, the evidence of war remains: the bullet that hit her in the yard is still there, stuck in her head. I have been told that the operation to remove it may be too risky. “Isn’t she in a life threatening situation?” I ask our medical staff. “She was,” they tell me, “but not anymore.”
I spoke with Hussna’s dad too. “I hope my daughter will recover. I hope she can go to school and do something useful for our community.” I share these hopes too, despite their situation living in the midst of this war.
The following day, I walked through the hospital’s garden. The sun is shining in Kabul. Once more I see Golali and Hussna sitting on a bench and I ask them to take [their picture]. I want to capture this moment of peace. Meanwhile, I can’t stop thinking of the bullet in her head. Is it possible to feel like you have war inside your body? Perhaps, Hussna is the only one who can really answer this question.
There seems to be an endless river of human suffering in the world, but with your help we are changing one small part of it, one family at a time. Thank you for all of your support over the years. We hope to continue to count you as one of our supporters as Afghanistan's families have never needed us more than they do now.
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."
-Rumi
Photo Credits from top to bottom: Photo 1- UNHCR / Andrew McConnell; Photo 2 - UNHCR / Edris Lutfi; Photo 3 - EUSA; Photo 4 - UNHCR / Andrew McConnell