Afghanistan Crisis Appeal
The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and Australian Red Cross continue to help those impacted by the ongoing crisis.
On 31 December 2022, Australian Red Cross closed its Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.
While our Appeal has come to an end, the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and Australian Red Cross to help those impacted by the ongoing crisis continues.
- Afghan Red Crescent Society, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) are still delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and will continue to do so as long as their support is needed.
- Australian Red Cross will continue to provide settlement and other humanitarian support for people from Afghanistan who are in Australia.
Australian Red Cross response
Funding sent to ICRC to provide life-saving support to people affected by the ongoing crisis including food, water and other relief items such as mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits.
Funding sent to ICRC to deliver essential health care services including support to health clinics, mobile health teams and physical rehabilitation centres.
Appeal funding has supported communities in Australia to locate and reconnect with missing family in Afghanistan caught up in the crisis through our Restoring Family Links (RFL) service.
Australian Red Cross has been working with the Government to ensure people impacted by the situation in Afghanistan are brought to safety, have a warm welcome, and access to settlement support on arrival in Australia.
Australian Red Cross supported the resettlement of refugees and humanitarian entrants from Afghanistan in WA, ACT and regional NSW, including responding to a significant increase following the evacuations from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Every day, Australian Red Cross works with refugees, people seeking asylum, and people on temporary visas. We support many people from Afghanistan who are now living in Australia, providing casework support, emergency relief, links to mental health, housing and employment support, and responding to their individual needs.
How you can help
You can still donate directly to the ICRC’s operation in Afghanistan. Please note that donations made directly to ICRC are not tax-deductible.
You can also donate to the Australian Red Cross International Disaster Fund at any time. This fund enables Australian Red Cross and our partners to be there to help people overseas. It means we can:
- Help people overseas prepare for a crisis and reduce their risk before it happens
- Have emergency response teams in places hit hard by disasters and conflict
- Support people affected by crises to recover safely and with dignity
You’re contributing to aid driven by local people, based on what works in their communities. It’s faster, smarter and more effective. It can help stop disasters and conflicts from becoming humanitarian crises.
While our appeal is coming to an end, the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent and Australian Red Cross to help those impacted by the crisis continues.
The crisis in Afghanistan is ongoing and our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners are continuing to deliver critical humanitarian services.
Australian Red Cross will continue to support our colleagues’ efforts through our international program work, the International Disaster Fund and the Global Hunger Crisis Appeal.
While Australian Red Cross will support our partners in Afghanistan whenever possible, for the moment, our fundraising efforts will be directed to other emergencies.
In Australia, we will continue to support migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum who have been impacted by the crisis, as well as helping those who have lost contact with family in Afghanistan. Their needs remain high and are better met through other means than the existing Appeal. Our Restoring Family Links services remain available to any families who have lost contact with each other or who have missing relatives.
The decision to close this Appeal was taken in November 2022 before these decisions by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan were announced.
Australian Red Cross shares the same concerns raised by the ICRC and the IFRC that the exclusion of women and girls from the education system and essential humanitarian roles will lead to catastrophic humanitarian consequences in the short to long term.
Women are the main clients of the primary health services supported through the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society. Female doctors, nurses, midwives and outreach workers make these services possible. Women are critical to how the Movement designs and monitors services for women and girls. They should not, and cannot, be replaced by male colleagues.
Funds raised from the Afghanistan Crisis Appeal have provided humanitarian support to people and communities affected by the crisis. In total we have raised $1.4 million through our Afghanistan Crisis Appeal which has supported the delivery of urgent, lifesaving aid to millions of people in Afghanistan. This support has included:
- Life-saving support to people affected by the ongoing crisis including food, water and other relief items such as mattresses, blankets and hygiene kits
- Delivery of essential health care services including support to health clinics, mobile health teams and physical rehabilitation centres
- Support to communities in Australia to locate and reconnect with missing family in Afghanistan caught up in the crisis.
Yes. As a Humanitarian Settlement Program provider, funded by the Department of Home Affairs, we are supporting the resettlement of refugees and humanitarian entrants from Afghanistan in WA, ACT as well as Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Albury in regional NSW. This has included responding to a significant increase following the evacuations from Afghanistan in August 2021.
We are also supporting people from Afghanistan who are in Australia on temporary visas, including people seeking asylum, with emergency relief support. Our Restoring Family Links services remain available to any families who have lost contact with each other or who have missing relatives.
You can still donate directly to the ICRC’s operation in Afghanistan. Please note that donations made directly to ICRC are not tax deductible.
You can also donate to the Australian Red Cross International Disaster Fund at any time. This fund enables Australian Red Cross and our partners to be there to help people overseas. It means we can:
You can also donate to the Australian Red Cross International Disaster Fund at any time. This fund enables Australian Red Cross and our partners to be there to help people overseas. It means we can:
- Help people overseas prepare for a crisis and reduce their risk before it happens
- Have emergency response teams in places hit hard by disasters and conflict
- Support people affected by crises to recover safely and with dignity