‘Left with Nothing’

Drastic reductions in humanitarian funding to Afghanistan by major donors are forcing the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and other humanitarian organisations to significantly cut vital aid for the most vulnerable and impoverished communities.

In western Afghanistan, women, men, and children living in makeshift settlements are already experiencing the severe impact of the world’s neglect.

Herat province encapsulates the insurmountable challenges facing the Afghan people today.

Every day, thousands cross into neighbouring Iran in search of work and a better life, while thousands more return – only to be confronted with the same hardships that had previously forced them to leave: unemployment, lack of access to education, and human rights violations.

But the most vulnerable Afghans – displaced from their home area by conflict, drought, and poverty – often lack the resources to pay for the permits and transportation necessary to seek safety and opportunities in neighbouring countries.

Instead, many end up in slum-like informal settlements on the outskirts of larger cities. Life in these slum-like areas is a daily struggle for survival, with many children collecting plastic for recycling, and entire families surviving on stale bread and tea.

We met some of the people living in squalor in informal settlement, who are left with nothing after the drastic cuts in aid from the countries that once promised to never forget Afghanistan.

NRC’s legal aid and information teams play a vital role in assisting returning and internally displaced Afghans by providing support with housing, food, legal aid and referrals to healthcare providers within communities.

This support is especially important for Afghan women who have become the heads of their families after their husbands have died or emmigrated. These women often depend on female-to-female assistance due to cultural and religious norms in Afghanistan.

The decreasing number of female aid workers in the country further restricts access to essential services for women and children, worsening poverty and basic rights.

Deen Mohammad, 38, is the head of a household with ten members, and struggles to provide for his family in a city where job opportunities are scarce.

“We don’t have enough food, water, or shelter, and all ten of us are living together in a small room,” he says.

The family fled Badghis province in 2017 due to severe drought and intense fighting in their area. Deen Mohammad feels the impact of Afghanistan’s ongoing economic crisis on a daily basis.

“I go to the city, but there is no work to be found. I even had to send my oldest son to the city to collect discarded plastic. We sell it to cover our family’s expenses.”

Mohammad Dawoud, 38, and his family were forced to leave their home in the Bala Murghab village of Badghis province after severe flooding devastated the area. Now, he lives with his wife and three children in the Shahrak-e Sabz informal settlement in Herat province. However, his responsibilities extend far beyond his immediate family.

“Unfortunately, I lost two of my sisters in the floods. My father and two brothers have also passed away, and I am now responsible for supporting their families as well. In fact, I am the breadwinner for 35 people.”

The two brothers, Murtaza, 8, and Elyas, 11, are having their lunch in front of their makeshift shelter in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Herat city.

The brothers and the rest of their family were forced to flee Kunduz due to conflict and relocate to Herat seven years ago. Since then, they have lived in an informal settlement. According to their father, Khosh Mohammad, 48, their situation is becoming increasingly difficult.

Khosh Mohammad and his family have seen little improvement over the years given the decline in aid provided to Afghanistan. The recent and drastic aid cuts have only exacerbated this even further.

“It has been several years since we have received assistance from aid organisations. I have no other source of income, and there are no job opportunities in the city. It has become extremely challenging for us to survive,” Khosh Mohammad says.

This is the most challenging situation that NRC has faced in its 22 years in the country. But we are not shutting down our operations.

We remain committed to staying in Afghanistan – to support displaced women, men and children, and to ensure that communities affected by decades of war and climate change are not left behind.

To prevent further catastrophe, the international community must step up. People in Afghanistan cannot be abandoned. They need urgent, sustained support – not only to survive, but to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.

*SOURCE: Norwegian Refugee Council. Go to ORIGINAL: https://www.nrc.no/feature/2025/left-with-nothing-the-afghans-losing-lifesaving-aid 2025 Human Wrongs Watch