The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a “Safety Net Programme” to provide financial support to people with disabilities in Afghanistan, who are among the most affected by the country’s humanitarian crisis.
The ICRC said that between February and March 2023, 3,862 families of people with disabilities received cash grants through the program at six ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation centers.
The ICRC said that 28 million people in Afghanistan (65% of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance, as decades of conflict, economic challenges, and natural disasters have fueled poverty across the country. “Those affected the worst are children, the elderly, people with physical disabilities, and daily wage workers,” the ICRC said.
The ICRC further stated that given the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, long-term solutions are needed, including the resumption of critical projects that have been stopped and foreign investment in important infrastructural projects across the country.
“The ICRC welcomes any decision that will enable Afghan families to better cope with the dire economic condition and calls on the international community and development organizations to resume investing in Afghanistan, to prevent the situation from worsening further,” the ICRC added.
After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, unemployment and poverty in the country peaked, and foreign aid decreased. The unemployment rate in Afghanistan lacks specific statistics; however, according to the latest report from the World Bank, almost the entire population of the country faces severe food insecurity as their income falls short of meeting basic needs.
