Child Foundation is fighting hunger, treating childhood illness, and getting education support to more and more children.
Fighting Hunger
Food package & bread distribution to Afghan families, 2021 & 2022
As of the most recent reports in February 2022, hunger is rampant in Afghanistan. As the new government took over, financial and other systems collapsed. But there is good news. Child Foundation is re-establishing financial pathways to support humanitarian aid and sponsorship stipends to ensure children can attend school.
In 2021, we successfully delivered large food packages to 400 of our sponsored children’s families. More food packages are being prepared now, thanks to donations from the Afghan Crisis Fund. However, the UN reports that around 23 million people face extreme hunger, so our efforts are for even more than our sponsored children.
And so we are meeting needs where we find them. Child Foundation Afghanistan has networked with 30+ bakeries in Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif to provide freshly baked bread for Afghan families. In Mazar-e Sharif, loaves will be given to sponsored and unsponsored families in need so there is no waste and we can fight hunger across the community. 40,000+ freshly baked barbari bread loaves have already been delivered, 5-8 loaves per family… but we are just getting started. See our Bring Bread to Afghanistan Campaign in action. This campaign is vital; it supplements the monthly support flowing to our sponsored children and sustains other families who may otherwise have nowhere else to turn.
Thalassemia Clinic, Mazar-e-Sharif, Feb 2022
Treating Illness
The blood disorder thalassemia is not uncommon among Afghanistan’s children, and it can be deadly. Left untreated, children are unlikely to see their fifth birthday. The clinic provides life-saving treatment to any child living with the blood disease, including blood transfusions, medication to manage their iron levels, and surgery when it can be coordinated in Kabul. The Child Foundation-funded Thalassemia Clinic in Mazar-e-Sharif Hospital serves more children than ever. As surrounding hospitals and clinics turn away patients for lack of resources or staff, we are seeing a 50% daily increase in the number of children urgently needing care.
Against the odds, the clinic is securing enough medication to help children manage their iron levels and not risk fatal iron overload. Additionally, community members, including the Taliban, are reported to be generously donating blood which is massively crucial for regular blood transfusions.
The clinic needs to urgently cover the costs of this medication and more beds, personnel, and other supplies. The clinic’s basic operational costs are nearly $1,500 a month while providing a month’s worth of medication to our children is an additional $3,450. Learn more and join us with a gift to the clinic.