Kabul: The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched an emergency relief operation to support families affected by the earthquake that struck Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan, measuring six on the Richter scale. The disaster killed more than 2,200 people, injured about 3,640, destroyed thousands of homes, and displaced a large number of residents, especially in remote mountain villages and hard-to-reach areas.
According to Qatar News Agency, the project aims to provide a rapid and effective response to the urgent needs of the most affected families in the districts of Nurgal and Suki in Kunar Province. It will deliver direct assistance to around 7,600 families (about 53,200 individuals) and indirect support to surrounding communities, in order to mitigate the impact of the disaster and strengthen resilience among the affected population.
The first phase of the intervention has a budget of QR 2 million (approximately $547,945) and includes food and non-food assistance for 33,200 people, along with healthcare services for 20,000 people. The project will be implemented under the supervision of QRCS’s office in Afghanistan, in cooperation with the Afghan Red Crescent and in coordination with local authorities and international sectoral committees, ensuring integration of efforts, avoiding duplication, and maximizing impact.
QRCS Secretary-General Faisal Mohammed Al Emadi said that entire villages were reduced to rubble after the late-August earthquake, with dozens killed, hundreds left without treatment or shelter, and thousands of families suddenly displaced with no roof over their heads and no food for themselves or their children. He noted that the first phase of the campaign aims to provide an urgent humanitarian response to save lives and ease the suffering of affected families by delivering food, clean drinking water, healthcare through mobile clinics, and essential shelter materials.
He highlighted that the first phase includes distributing 2,000 food baskets, enough for one family for a month, to ensure immediate food security and reduce malnutrition risks in the critical post-disaster period. It also provides 2,000 shelter kits to offer temporary, warm housing for families whose homes were destroyed, protecting them from harsh weather and helping them regain stability safely and with dignity.
Al Emadi also pointed out that the campaign will provide emergency health support to about 3,000 families through two mobile clinics operated for six months, each staffed by a specialist doctor, a midwife, a nurse, and a nutrition advisor, equipped with medicines, medical supplies, and fuel. These clinics will provide first aid, injury treatment, maternal and child healthcare, health education, and reduce risks of waterborne and emergency-related infectious diseases.
He added that after the initial relief phase, early recovery efforts will begin, focusing on more sustainable development-oriented projects such as ongoing food distributions, orphan sponsorships, providing medicines for kidney failure patients, securing livelihoods for poor families, and digging water wells.
Al Emadi stressed QRCS’s commitment to rapid implementation and alignment of the project’s components with local needs, in close coordination and full planning with the Afghan Red Crescent, Afghan authorities, and local community leaders in the targeted areas. This will include rapid field assessments in Kunar Province to identify the most affected households and prepare beneficiary lists, with priority given to vulnerable families, female-headed households, and families living in remote mountain areas.
Food, water, shelter supplies, and health tools will be procured according to approved purchasing policies, with delivery timelines ensured. Materials will be moved from central warehouses to distribution points in targeted areas, with checks for quality and quantity before distribution. Beneficiaries and local community representatives will be engaged in all stages of implementation to ensure transparency and accountability. Continuous monitoring will also be carried out by QRCS’s Afghanistan team through regular field visits to guarantee quality, adherence to timelines, and proper execution.