Supporting Families after Afghanistan Earthquake

On Sunday, Aug. 31, while families were asleep, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake rocked eastern Afghanistan, flattening homes and sending boulders crashing down mountainsides and onto roadways. 

“In the night, around 12 o’clock, there was a heavy shake. With a sound of a blast, the roof of our house fell on us,” said Fared, 15. For two hours, Fared lay trapped under the rubble that was once his home.

He said he feels blessed to have survived; his neighbors, who had been sleeping outdoors that night, pulled him out and took him to a nearby clinic.

“In the morning, the clinic staff transferred me to the city hospital by a government helicopter due to road-blockage problems,” he explained.

Abdur, 20, and his family were sleeping outdoors, but the wall of their house fell on his father, he said. 

“My uncles and other relatives helped my father out from under the fallen wall. When they rescued him, he was alive,” Abdur said. “But since the roads were blocked, he could not be transported to the nearby hospital, and he died that night.”

According to a Sept. 19 United Nations report, the earthquake resulted in at least 2,000 deaths, 3,600 injuries, and the destruction of 8,500 homes. Thousands of families are now displaced.

“We lost everything in seconds: our family members, home appliances, and livestock were under the fallen walls and roofs,” said Sultan, 55. “Everyone was crying, yelling, and in fear. We felt that the world had ended because the whole village was completely destroyed.”

Fared, Abdur, and Sultan and their families, like many others who are displaced, have sought refuge nearby at a camp in the Norgal district. After a careful assessment of people’s needs and situations, World Renew’s trusted local partner has been providing cash assistance to the most vulnerable families. Sultan, who has a physical disability, said he is grateful for the cash assistance. He said it would help him buy the things that his family needs most.

The cash assistance helps to serve as a light in what has been a dark time for Minha, 35. Her husband was killed when a rock fell on him, and her two daughters were injured. She said the aftershocks that followed for days after the initial earthquake also added to her trauma. 

“I will never forget that horrible night,” she said. “The frequent daily aftershocks tortured us. . . . We really needed cash so that we could buy the things which are important for our life.”

Abdur is also grateful for the support he received. “We feel that we are not alone in this crisis,” he said. “Some NGOs support us with food and nonfood items, but not with cash. Since we have to purchase various things, we will be able to do so with the cash provided. Thank you so much!”

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