This past August, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Afghanistan. In the face of flattened villages and deadly landslides across four Afghan provinces (Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, and Laghman), ADRA Canada and the broader ADRA Network stepped into action. Needs assessments were carried out quickly—ascertaining the specific needs of those affected and identifying the unique challenges of this situation.

Numerous infrastructure and systemic challenges have challenged the progress of work—most notably the Taliban government cutting off internet connectivity for the whole nation for 48 hours, which followed up on smaller regional internet outages earlier in September. While the country director for ADRA’s operations is currently present in Afghanistan to oversee the rollout process for aid, updates on this emergency response are a bit more complicated than usual, owing in part to the internet blackouts.

Still, the broader ADRA network is in the process of finalizing its project proposal, which will focus on delivering food baskets to families in need. These food baskets are designed to provide one month’s worth of emergency food rations per household.

Despite present challenges, ADRA’s efforts have hardly been upended. Much of the aid coordination is being handled by offices outside of Afghanistan, and those plans are proceeding. The rapid needs assessments conducted by ADRA and other agencies have painted a clear picture of the current needs in the earthquake-affected areas of Afghanistan, and previous communication with the affected local communities saw them respond with warm enthusiasm to the idea of ADRA establishing a local field office near the affected area.

ADRA remains responsive and adaptable as the response effort evolves and unfolds. Shortly after the earthquake, ADRA Afghanistan made a statement reasserting confidence in its capacity to meet this challenging moment effectively. ADRA Canada and the rest of the network are standing by Afghanistan and preparing for whatever the next steps require.

We encourage you to keep up to date with ADRA Canada on this website and on our social media for future updates about our ongoing work for the people of Afghanistan. ADRA exists to serve humanity so all may live as God intended.