Afghanistan

BRAC began its journey in Afghanistan in 2002. It was our first country of operations outside Bangladesh. The country’s humanitarian crisis had similarities with post-war Bangladesh. So BRAC applied its lessons learned in alleviating poverty to Afghanistan.

Today, our team of 2,000+ Afghan staff members offers programs in education, health, and emergency response. We primarily support women and girls.

Our Impact

Smiling children stand outside in Afghanistan

17M

people supported in Afghanistan

Smiling girl in a classroom at Jabul Sheraj’s government primary school

29.3K

learners accessed community-based education

TUP member of BRAC Afghanistan with her sheep

7.5k

micro, medium, and small enterprises received technical and financial support

More than half of Afghanistan’s population of 44 million people live in extreme poverty.

Decades of conflict and climate shocks have impacted communities. The gender divide continues to widen with a ban on secondary education for girls; an estimated 2.2 million girls are out of school. BRAC Afghanistan works in 23 of 34 provinces to help women and families forge a pathway out of poverty.

Our Stories

Meet Adila, the girl who chose knowledge

Ten-year-old Adila from Afghanistan is defying the odds stacked against girls in her country. Despite growing barriers to education, she’s thriving at a BRAC after-school learning center. She’s gaining computer skills, learning English, and making friends. Adila dreams of becoming a doctor to serve people in her community.

If I could be a superhero, my power would be knowledge—the power to understand and help.” -Adila

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Meet Adila, the girl who chose knowledge

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How Razia is stitching her own future

When girls in Afghanistan were banned from secondary school, 22-year-old Razia didn’t give up; she got creative. With additional support, Razia launched a tailoring business. It became so successful that she hired six other girls in her neighborhood to help her make handicrafts and clothes. Today, Razia earns a steady income and is uplifting her family and community.

With the right tools and a small push, a girl can change her own life—and bring others with her." -

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How Razia is stitching her own future

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Fatima’s journey from homemaker to poultry farmer

After her husband’s sudden illness, Fatima had to support her household of nine people alone. With training, equipment, and a cash grant, she built a thriving poultry business in Afghanistan. Now, she has a flock of 500 chickens that lay about 420 eggs per month. Fatima keeps half of the eggs to feed her family and sells the rest to support her household

When women are supported, they are better prepared to face the challenges life brings." -

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Fatima’s journey from homemaker to poultry farmer

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Our Work

Explore our work in Afghanistan

Education

Scaling quality, inclusive, and joyful learning for all.

BRAC prioritizes joyful learning using engaging approaches. We believe that education is a fundamental right. We take a community-driven approach to ensure access to education in some of the hardest-to-reach areas.

In Afghanistan, we used this approach to ensure girls could continue learning even when schools were far from their homes or when bans stopped them from accessing education. Our community-driven network of programs includes pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels. This includes accelerated learning for girls who have dropped out or never attended school.

Integrated Development in Humanitarian Settings

Ensuring everyone has the tools to recover and rebuild.

BRAC Afghanistan supports communities by helping them meet their basic needs and build more stable futures. While providing urgent humanitarian aid when needed, we also focus on long-term support. Women receive training, tools, mentoring, and funding to start and grow their businesses. We also help communities increase climate resilience through risk reduction structures.

Ultra-Poor Graduation

A proven pathway out of extreme poverty.

BRAC’s flagship Ultra-Poor Graduation approach is a globally recognized and widely adopted solution proven to break the poverty trap. Graduation enables people to build a long-term trajectory out of extreme poverty through a time-bound package of sequenced interventions. This combines a large investment in income-generating activities, basic needs support, and ongoing, intensive coaching.

Health

Bringing critical care to the last mile.

Within a year of starting our work, BRAC Afghanistan began strengthening the health system, especially for people living in remote areas and situations of extreme poverty. We were the first organization in Afghanistan to widely employ women as community health workers. They provide life-saving care, including nutrition support for pregnant women and new mothers. Our programs also deliver care to marginalized populations, such as internally displaced people.

Afghanistan is a land of towering mountains and deep valleys, with the rugged Hindu Kush stretching across much of the country. Over the years, changing regimes and conflict have weakened Afghanistan’s infrastructure, health, education, and economy.

Today, Afghanistan has one of the world’s largest populations displaced by conflict. Extreme poverty is widespread, and climate events like droughts and floods are common. Women and girls in Afghanistan face serious barriers to education, employment, and healthcare. But with the right support and resources, individuals can uplift their families and communities.

Aspire-Wee

Education

We-Act

We-Act, Education