Situation Overview
In recent months, heavy rainfall and flash floods across the country has caused catastrophic damage, leaving thousands without shelter. More 16,600 homes have been affected. This includes more than 5,000 homes that have been destroyed and an additional 11,600 that have sustained damage. The most affected provinces include Baghlan, Nangarhar, Ghor, Helmand, and Uruzgan.
These events have similarly highlighted the critical inter-linkages of protection issues affecting vulnerable groups. The community level multisectoral rapid assessment has revealed that women, girls, and children under five years old comprise approximately 62 percent of the affected demographic, with children under five years old constituting around 24 percent. Similarly specific needs have been identified within the affected population, highlighting the presence of 1,798 pregnant women, 2,549 infants, 400 individuals with severe disabilities, 128 vulnerable elderly families, 959 unaccompanied children, 1,782 female-headed households, and 193 individuals people suffering from chronic illnesses.
These findings impress on the need for urgent shelter support to mitigate exacerbating preexisting vulnerabilities among affected people. The lack of access to adequate shelter not only compromises the safety and dignity of people with specific needs including women and girls, but also restricts their access to essential services and economic opportunities, further entrenching gender disparities. It is particularly detrimental, as it often results in increased exposure to health risks and violence and limits their ability to participate in recovery and rebuilding efforts. The situation is exacerbated for those with specific needs, such as widows and separated or divorced women, who may face additional legal and societal barriers due to the loss of civil documentation and/or property-related documents. According to the MSRAF, an estimated 749 individuals reported having lost their documentation during the incidents.
In response to these events, the Shelter Cluster, along with its partners, has been actively working to provide relief items to those affected. More than 12,900 families have received emergency assistance and non-food items (NFI) to help them cope with the immediate aftermath of the floods. However, the situation remains dire, with both partners and affected families lacking resources to kick start transitional and long term shelter support. USD 21.8M is urgently needed to support the most vulnerable families repair and rebuild their homes with dignity.
With the winter season fast approaching, the window for delivery of construction activities is closing in. Inevitably, the coming weeks are crucial to ensure that those who have been directly affected by this natural disaster events are not left without shelter, and the means to rebuild. It is imperative that these efforts are expedited to provide affected families with the necessary shelter, thereby mitigating the adverse impacts on their health, safety, and economic stability and equally promoting the rights and well-being of women and girls, ensuring they are central to recovery and rebuilding processes.