Who we are

ActionAid is a global justice Federation working to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication. Throughout the world, ActionAid works to strengthen the capacity and active agency of people living in poverty and exclusion, especially women, to assert their rights. Collectively with supporters, financing partners and local organizations, we are working with over 15 million people in more than 45 countries for a world free from poverty and injustice. We work with communities, people’s organizations, women’s movements, groups and networks, social movements and other allies to address the structural causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We connect the work we do at community level with broader efforts and struggles for justice at every level to make the greatest contribution towards a just, equitable and sustainable world. ActionAid International is collectively governed by all its members, supported by its Global Secretariat.

ActionAid has been working in Afghanistan since 2002, with the excluded and marginalized communities in 15 provinces including Kabul in partnership with local organizations. We started by providing humanitarian aid to war and conflict affected people, with a focus on women and children. The lessons drawn from humanitarian response inspired ActionAid to engage in wider programming to address the causes of poverty and injustice in Afghanistan. In 2006, ActionAid Afghanistan (AAA) expanded its work as a full-fledged country programme and engaged in people centered humanitarian and development work in some of the most remote and poverty-stricken communities in Afghanistan. This country strategy is informed by our experience in the country both pre- and post-2021 country transition where we have recalibrated ourselves to the changing needs. 

Today, ActionAid Afghanistan is working with nearly 4 million people living in poverty and injustice in 113 districts of 15 provinces and responding to humanitarian needs of affected population, promoting women’s rights and economic empowerment, climate resilient sustainable agriculture, disaster risk reduction, food and livelihood security, Water and Sanitation, and youth leadership. These initiatives are supported by the country office at Kabul and 4 regional offices in Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Bamiyan.

At ActionAid, Afghanistan, we collaborate with communities most affected by poverty, inequality, and disasters. Our efforts focus on the following groups:

Women and Girls: Empowering and protecting women and girls against violence and inequality. 

Vulnerable Households: Supporting families impacted by poverty, conflict, or disasters. 

Youth and Children: Promoting education, protection, and leadership for youth and children. 

Smallholder Farmers: Enhancing food security and resilience in rural communities. 

Community Groups: Strengthening women- and youth-led groups for advocacy and accountability. 

Marginalized and Displaced Populations: Providing essential support to displaced and excluded communities.