Save the Children has suspended its operations in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s announcement that women are banned from working for INGOs. We cannot and will not operate without the full participation of and guarantees of safety for our female front line and office-based staff.
A Save the Children spokesperson said:
“Female staff members are at the heart of Save the Children’s work in Afghanistan. They are our doctors, nurses, midwives, they are our counsellors, case workers and teachers, they are our finance, security, and human resources experts.
“Most importantly, our female staff members enable us to access women and children. Most women in Afghanistan are only allowed to see female health professionals and case workers, and girls can only be taught by female teachers. If female staff are removed from the NGO workforce in Afghanistan, we will no longer be able to provide life-saving services to millions of women and children. Without them, we simply cannot safely operate.
“The ban on female staff will have a direct impact on the life-saving assistance Save the Children provide and we are calling for an immediate reversal to this decision.”
Save the Children is one of the largest INGOs in the country and has been operating in Afghanistan since 1976. Here are 9 facts about Save the Children’s work in Afghanistan:
1. Number of staff in Afghanistan – 5,700 staff and community workers
2. Number of women staff - 2,490 staff or community workers
3. Number of people helped since Save the Children re-started operations in September 2021 following the Taliban takeover – 3.9 million people, including 1 million girls and 1.2 million women
4. Number of provinces where Save the Children works– 17 out of 34 (both directly and through partners)
5. Number of children in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan – 14 million
6. Number of children with severe acute malnutrition Save the Children is currently treating– 73,000
7. Number of women currently receiving care via Save the Children mobile clinics – 30,000
8. Number of community-based education classes run by Save the Children – 3,392
9. Number of households who have received cash assistance from Save the Children totalling 16.4 million USD – 130, 514
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT: Joshua Mcdonald on 0478010972 or media.team@savethechildren.org.au.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Save the Children directly provides essential support for children and their families in 10 provinces (Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh, Sar-e-Pul, Jawzjan, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Faryab, and Logar provinces) and through partners in seven provinces (Badakhshan, Takhar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Herat, Kunduz and Paktika).