Health

*Note: Unless otherwise noted, all information regarding health programming in Afghanistan is from 2019. Recent updates temporarily unavailable for safety and security reasons.

The Bayat Foundation (new window) has nourished the lives of Afghans by empowering women’s health since 2005 through the construction of thirteen (13) hospitals and clinics nationwide that have treated nearly four (4) million patients, as well as, responding to natural disasters and crises with its mobile clinic. The new 25,000 square foot Bayat Maternity & Neonatal Hospital in Kabul is expected to be completed in Autumn 2023. (2023) The foundation has responded to Afghanistan’s increasing famine and drought crises by accelerating and scaling its humanitarian response activities. In 2022, the Foundation shipped more than one (1) million prepackaged emergency meals for distribution among internally displaced people (IDP) and refugee camps nationwide, and also distributed more than 750,000 servings of vitamin-enriched infant formula for impacted children younger than 12 months. To address the ongoing drought, the Foundation also expanded its water accessibility program and drilled new wells in dozens of districts nationwide. (Updated 2023)

HEEDA‘s (new window) vision is to promote a culture of impact and sustainability in Afghanistan through humanitarian, health, education, and economic development programs. Since its founding in 2010, HEEDA has created culturally sensitive programs and research to improve the lives of Afghans. HEEDA is actively organizing and deploying basic resources, technologies and technical assistance to both non governmental and governmental partners in Afghanistan. (Updated 2019)

The Lamia Afghan Foundation (new window) provides scholarships, basic housing and board during rehabilitation for survivors of land mine accidents and other explosions. The LAF works with
Kabul Orthopedic Organization (KOO) and A Leg To Stand On (ALTSO), a New York
City-based non-profit, to provide custom-made, lightweight, state-of-the-art prosthetics for children. Recently, a girl named Noorzia from Nangarhar has been the focus of our attention and efforts. Noorzia was featured in a New York Times Op-Ed in 2018, which helped raise awareness about the continuing dangers of land mines, IEDs, and other explosives that cause the loss of legs. We are now sending Noorzia to a private school on an LAF scholarship. We recently got new prosthetic legs for a family of seven children in eastern Afghanistan. We continue to seek ways to partner with local and international organizations in collaboration with the Afghan government to increase food security for women and families, establish health clinics in far-flung provinces such as Nuristan, and facilitate opportunities for young people from outside of the capital to obtain medical training to help their communities. (Updated 2023)

Relief International (RI), is an alliance of international non-governmental organizations that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing. RI works in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education and Livelihoods programming that creates the foundation for community resilience. In Afghanistan, Relief International is helping to rebuild Afghanistan’s crippled healthcare system by rehabilitating and equipping medical facilities, and training doctors, midwives, female medical staff and surgeons to work in remote areas cut off from services.

Currently, RI’s work in Afghanistan centers on health and nutrition. While the majority of their health and nutrition programs are focused on providing healthcare to all people in the areas they operate in, RI also provides dedicated antenatal and postnatal services to women in its health facilities. In 2022, RI provided antenatal consultations to 5,809 women, and supported 1,806 pregnant or lactating women with nutritional services. In addition, the majority of people using Relief International’s other healthcare services (vaccination drives, outpatient consultations, mental health services, malnutrition treatment) in 2022 were women and children. In total, RI provided healthcare services to approximately 60,000 women and children in 2022, and this number will likely increase in 2023 as new healthcare programs come online. RI has worked in the health sector in Afghanistan since 1985, with a focus on Ghazni, Kapisa, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nimroz and Paktika. (Updated 2023)

Women for Afghan Women (new window) (WAW) operates life-saving and life-changing programs in Afghanistan and NY, and advocates for women’s rights in Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., and around the world. As a community-based human rights organization, WAW has advanced its mission by working deep in the community, respecting the culture, religion and traditions of their clients. In Afghanistan, WAW operates 32 legal aid centers and emergency and long-term shelters for women and children in 13 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Since its inception in 2001, WAW has protected and empowered over 38,000 women and children and educated more than 362,000 individuals (men and women) on women’s rights under Islam and the Afghan Constitution. In recent years, WAW has also provided nearly 723,000 conflict-induced internally displaced persons and refugee returnees with protection and monitoring services. (Updated 2019)

The Women’s Initiative to Strengthen and Empower (WISE) Afghanistan (new window) has provided access to basic healthcare for thousands of women in communities with limited access to health facilities and a high level of poverty. The primary focus areas are on malnutrition, maternal and child health, and menstrual health and hygiene. The organization started off with providing prenatal vitamins and supplements for pregnant women as well as over-the-counter medicine for impoverished patients through partnerships with local health facilities. Since then, it has provided access to healthcare for over 8,000 women and children and conducted trainings for both health professionals and patients within its various areas of focus. In January 2018, WISE launched Salamat, the first maternal health application in Afghanistan aimed at improving the quality of data among health facilities and to enable health professionals to better address the needs of women and their children. Recently, the WISE team completed a successful pilot of Salamat with five health facilities in Kabul through the support of Johns Hopkins University and received approval from leadership at the Ministry of Health to expand the app throughout Afghanistan. WISE aims to continue to transform health care throughout Afghanistan through its core pillars of technology, education, and advocacy.  (Updated 2019)