EU-funded Humanitarian Action by DRC and Partners Supports Over 845,000 People Across Afghanistan

26 May 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan: As humanitarian needs deepen across Afghanistan, life-saving assistance has reached more than 845,000 people through a two-year project addressing food insecurity, displacement, protection risks, and explosive ordnance contamination across some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.

The response also supported the clearance of nearly 5 million square metres of contaminated land, helping restore safer access to homes, farmland, and livelihoods for 6 million people affected by decades of conflict.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), together with the Kabul Orthopedic Organization (KOO), Women Activities & Social Services Association (WASSA), and the Demining Agency for Afghanistan (DAFA) the project delivered emergency relief services in areas heavily affected by conflict, displacement, disaster, and rising humanitarian pressures.

Afghanistan is facing an increasingly severe humanitarian crisis - driven by economic collapse, climate shocks, and the enduring impacts of conflict. The situation has been further compounded by rising forced returns from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, placing additional pressure on already overstretched communities and services.

A multi-sectoral needs assessment conducted by DRC found that an alarming 92% of the surveyed population faced inadequate food consumption, with 98% resorting to negative coping mechanisms such as skipping meals or selling essential assets. Significant needs were also identified in shelter, livelihoods, protection, and mine action.

Delivering Life-Saving Humanitarian Action

Through coordinated multi-sector support, the project delivered:

• Food assistance to over 21,000 people, helping reduce reliance on negative coping strategies.
• Shelter support for over 11,000 people through shelter repairs, cash-for-rent assistance, winterisation kits, solar lamps and tents.
• Psychosocial support and access to services for over 6,400 people, including case management, emergency cash assistance and referrals.
• Humanitarian mine action, including clearance of more than 4.5 million square metres of contaminated land, explosive ordnance disposal, emergency victim assistance, and risk education reaching more than 723,400 people.
• Emergency response for over 8,500 people affected by sudden shocks. 

KOO provided rehabilitation support to 1,585 people, including physiotherapy, orthotic and prosthetic support, and assistive devices.

WASSA delivered case management and psychosocial support for vulnerable individuals, including returnees and those facing heightened risks in Herat province.

DAFA cleared 463,391 square metres of land contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war in Kabul Province, supporting safer resettlement for returnee families and restoring land for agriculture and livelihoods for more than 6,500 people.