ReliefWeb

To contain and prevent resurgence of the AWD outbreak through targeted interventions in the high-risk areas

1. Background

Afghanistan continues to be affected by four decades of armed conflict and is currently experiencing severe economic hardship with an increase in food prices and other essential commodities. Afghanistan is also prone to recurrent natural disasters, disease outbreaks, drought and earthquakes which are now increasingly driving the humanitarian needs. There have recently been a number of natural disasters: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Qadis district of Badghis province, affecting roughly 1,000 people; a landslide occurred in the Shahrak district of Ghor province, and floods occurred in the Guzara district of Herat province. Furthermore, highways from Ghazni-Nawa and Ghazni-Jaghuri have been closed as a result of recent severe snowfalls, affecting the shipment of medical supplies to various locations. However, there has been a significant decrease in previously widespread-armed conflict in most parts of Afghanistan leading to a drastic reduction in civilian casualties that resulted from armed ground engagements and military airstrikes. The overall accessibility to all the 34 provinces has improved significantly in the recent months following the events of 15 August 2021.

Afghanistan’s population is estimated to be 41.7 million in 2021, of whom 51 percent are men and 49 percent are women. According to the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2022, there are 24.4M Afghanis who need humanitarian assistance, and out of this 22.1M are targeted for response in the HRP. Given this underlying fragility – at the economic, political and security levels – the country is not able to cope with the consequences of such disasters, which puts additional strain on humanitarian actors working on the ground.