August 15th, 2022
By: Omar Haidari

This August marks the one-year anniversary since the launch of Aseel’s emergency response campaign. This blog post will provide a summary of Aseel’s vital aid delivery and the significant difference Aseel has made in Afghanistan.

In August 2021, the former government was superseded by the Taliban. In the months that followed, Afghanistan entered a deadly economic crisis pushing 24.4 million people in need of humanitarian aid. In a survey by Save the Children (February 2022), they found that 82% of Afghan families have lost wages since August 2021, forcing their children into labor or begging on the streets. An estimated 3.2 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, and at least 1 million children are at risk of dying without immediate treatment.

Photo Credit: Ishaq Anis

Additionally, families and households that relied on women as the sole breadwinner have been brutally impacted by the new policies that have banned women from working outside their homes. Aseel provided emergency aid at a critical time to families and individuals in need of dire assistance. Aid has been delivered in the form of emergency packages that donors have been able to purchase from a choice of the emergency child, food, baby care, life, or first aid packages.

To date, Aseel has helped 43,899 families and delivered 3,645 packages across 24 provinces in Afghanistan with the help of Aseel’s extensive team of 180 volunteers or Atalan, who have worked tirelessly on the ground. Aseel's volunteers have the local advantage; they can identify families most in need and deliver aid by the safest transportation routes. Volunteers delivered time-critical emergency assistance when most large international institutions could not do the same.

Aseel encourages using its online platform for people-run campaigns, where the public can start a campaign to raise funds for a specific cause of their choice in any part of the country. Currently, there are 72 active campaigns on Aseel’s platform, including campaigns for malnourished children, aiding the hunger crisis, support for female school teachers, and victims of the recent earthquake. The launch of Aseel’s Omid ID cards has improved the efficiency and transparency of aid for the campaign organizer, donors, and beneficiaries. Families and individuals eligible for aid were issued an Omid ID card, which they can use to contact Aseel for further assistance with food or medical support.

In the wake of significant child mortality from malnutrition in recent months, Aseel launched its child relief grand challenge. Donors are able to lead campaigns or purchase emergency child relief packages for malnourished children. In its first round, this challenge aims at providing relief for 15,000 malnourished children with food packages and connecting them with local and international malnutrition experts for treatment. So far, Aseel has raised $50,157 of its $100,000 target. In preparation for this challenge, Aseel’s team visited a large local hospital in Kabul to enquire about the number of admissions and deaths due to child malnutrition, its impact on families, and an already compromised health service. The food packages are designed with the advice of malnutrition experts.

Aseel’s achievements in providing life-saving aid in a transparent, cost-effective, and time-efficient manner were presented and praised in two recent international conferences, namely, DEMAC's International Conference on Diaspora Humanitarianism and “Afghan Diaspora call to action.” Aseel invites other organizations to collaborate in delivering humanitarian aid. We are pleased to have recently collaborated with Women for Afghan Women (WAW) in providing food and humanitarian packages to vulnerable Afghan families.

Aseel owes much to the public who have donated generously to the emergency response campaigns, its campaign organizers, its volunteers on the ground, and collaborators for helping Aseel provide life-saving aid. Aseel has achieved much in a short time, superseding large humanitarian institutions; however, with the ongoing crisis and economic instability, Aseel’s efforts must be multiplied and expanded across the country to achieve greater goals.

Please visit our website and social media pages to raise awareness and support Aseel's mission. From our homepage and app, you can start campaigns or donate to fund grand challenges. Every dollar counts, and we appreciate your support! If you are an organization thinking of partnering with us, please send an email to: [email protected]