In 2021, fierce fighting broke out when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. International agencies pulled out of the country, the economy crashed, and countless Afghans lost their jobs.
In the summer of 2022, an earthquake and widespread flooding destroyed homes and wiped out crops. Then an unusually cold winter hit the country, with temperatures dipping below 0ºF. Many Afghans had sold household items like blankets to buy food, leaving them unprepared for the brutal winter. They faced a grim predicament: Should they use their limited incomes to buy heating fuel, increasing the threat of starvation? Or should they risk freezing to death to buy food?
Now in 2023, these challenges leave Afghans struggling in a battered country. With a crumbled economy and jobs hard to find, hunger is rampant. In some cases, families eat only dry bread and water once or twice a day.
Afghans face severe hunger, economic difficulties, natural disasters, and other struggles. Through trusted contacts, CAM provided food, emergency supplies, blankets, and other aid.