Overview
UNICEF’s Afghanistan humanitarian update for November 2025 highlights urgent needs and ongoing efforts to protect children amid a challenging security and environmental context. Following a devastating earthquake in the northern provinces in early November, humanitarian agencies mobilized to assess damage, safeguard routine services, and expand lifesaving support for the country’s most vulnerable children and families. The report covers nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, protection, and the coordination efforts that underlie an effective response.
Impact of the Northern Afghanistan Earthquake
In the early hours of 3 November, a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake impacted communities from Balkh to Samangan, disrupting homes, schools, and health facilities. The earthquake compounded existing vulnerabilities and disrupted access to essential services in regions already strained by economic hardship and prolonged insecurity. UNICEF and partners prioritized rapid assessments to identify affected children, ensure continuity of care, and prevent secondary health risks such as disease outbreaks and malnutrition.
Immediate Protection and Care
Protection discussions emphasized safeguarding children from trauma, ensuring birth registration, and maintaining family separation prevention mechanisms. Temporary shelter and child-friendly spaces were established in several districts to provide safe environments while families began recovery and rebuilding. The focus remained on keeping children enrolled in school and connected to essential health services during displacement.
Nutrition and Health Status
Across the country, nutrition screenings continued to identify malnutrition and wasting among young children. In November, approximately 1.2 million children were screened for wasting to guide timely interventions. The data informs targeted nutrition programs, including ready-to-use therapeutic foods, supplementation, and growth monitoring. UNICEF workstreams emphasized strengthening routine immunization, disease surveillance, and access to primary health care for mothers and newborns.
Health System Support
Health facilities in affected districts received essential supplies and medical equipment, while health workers received training on emergency response, infection prevention, and clinical management of malnutrition. Community health volunteers expanded outreach to remote villages, promoting immunization, antenatal care, and health education with culturally appropriate messaging.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
The earthquake strained water sources and sanitation facilities in several communities. UNICEF-supported WASH interventions focused on restoring safe water supply, repairing damaged latrines, and distributing hygiene kits to prevent disease transmission. Clean water access reduces vulnerability among children, pregnant people, and families living in temporary shelter environments.
Education and Child Protection
Education continuity remained a central objective, with efforts to keep schools open or quickly reopen displaced learning spaces. Temporary learning spaces and teacher support were prioritized to minimize disruption to schooling during recovery efforts. Child protection services were scaled up to respond to trauma, exploitation risks, and safety concerns for children separated from their families due to displacement or migration.
Coordination, Funding and Next Steps
UNICEF participated in coordinated humanitarian response planning with government authorities and national and international partners. Resources committed to Afghanistan’s child-focused services aimed to maintain essential health and nutrition programs, rebuild WASH infrastructure, and support safe schooling. The November update highlights the need for continued funding to sustain emergency responses while transitioning toward resilient recovery and longer-term development goals.
What This Means for Families
For families in northern Afghanistan, the month’s activities translate into steadier access to nutrition services, safer water and sanitation, stable schooling environments, and protection case management for vulnerable children. UNICEF’s ongoing presence helps bridge immediate relief with long-term resilience, ensuring that children’s rights and well-being remain at the forefront of the humanitarian response.
