Afghanistan Libre

CONTEXT

The Taliban’s victory, symbolised by the fall of Kabul on August 15th, has forced us

to temporarily put on hold all our projects in favour of girls' education and

women's empowerment. Not even two months into the Taliban regime’s reign,

Afghanistan is already on the brink of unprecedented humanitarian, economic,

and social disaster. The UN estimates that if bold humanitarian measures are not

immediately taken, 97% of the population will be pushed below the poverty line

before the end of the year.

Restrictions to girls’ and women’s rights were swiftly enacted by the regime.

Girls are no longer able to attend secondary school, women must be veiled and

accompanied by a man in public spaces, women and girls may no longer

participate in sports, and many women have been requested to not go to go to

work (an estimated 1 in 5 women are able to work).

Afghanistan Libre is determined to confront these heinous violations to women’s

and girls’ rights and to meet the urgent humanitarian need in Afghanistan. Our

team in Afghanistan however, is at acute risk given their bold work for human

rights. To add to this risk, the economic crisis in Afghanistan has led to extreme

inflation, with some many rising as high as 92% in cost. Buying necessities has

become nearly impossible for most Afghans, leaving millions vulnerable to food

insecurity.

SUPPORT US WITH CONFIDENCE

Due to the paralysis of the Afghan banking system since the arrival of the

Taliban, it is now very difficult to send and withdraw money throughout the

country. Like many NGOs in Afghanistan, we have to adapt our financial

procedures to ensure continued support for our Afghan team members and

service-users. Until there is once again sufficient liquidity and relative market

functionality and stability, all money raised for our Emergency Fund will be sent

via legally registered Financial Service Providers outside of the formal banking

system (commonly known as Hawala). These are formally recognize FSPs which

adhere to both anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws and recognised

by international agencies and NGOs in emergencies. This procedure will allow us

to ensure that the funds reach all the members of our team to ensure their

survival and safety as we navigate new ways of working in this crisis