Afghanistan: Supporting women and girls to thrive despite challenges

Mobina Habibzada, ARCS focal point in Mazar-e-Sharif, explains that women who receive help are selected based on specific criteria, particularly cases where mothers and babies are affected by malnutrition. They receive monthly cash assistance to purchase nutritious food.

“Our main objective is to improve food security and help prevent malnutrition among mothers and their babies, including during the breastfeeding and post-breastfeeding periods, giving them a healthier start in life,” she says.

Through its support to 47 Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) Basic Healthcare Centers (BHCs), the ICRC helps women across Afghanistan access essential healthcare. Between June 2025 and July 2026, the centers provided over 800,000 outpatient consultations for women, assisted more than 980 deliveries, delivered over 111,000 antenatal care (ANC) and 39,000 postnatal care (PNC) services, and administered over 146,000 tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations.

These services help monitor pregnancies, identify complications, support safe childbirth and recovery, promote breastfeeding and newborn care, and protect mothers and babies against preventable diseases.

“I am pregnant and have five children, so regular check-ups and medicines are very important to me. I visit this clinic every month, even though I live half an hour away, because the doctors take good care of us and provide free medicines,” says Najeeba, 32, from Herat. “I cannot afford private healthcare, so this clinic is a great help to my family. I am very satisfied with the doctors and their services.”

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