Country: Afghanistan Source: Save the Children About 85% of families from a survey of 535 households reported a significant or moderate decrease in the availability of water in September 2025 compared with 2024 and about half of the children in the impacted provinces do not have daily access to clean water. KABUL, 25 March 2026 – Nearly two thirds of families in provinces impacted by severe drought in northern Afghanistan have reported an increase in child labour, with only about one in five children attending school, according to a Save the Children assessment. Research conducted in September 2025 in the drought-hit provinces of Balkh, Jawzjan, Sar e Pul, and Faryab found that the loss of livelihoods, a lack of food, and displacement were pushing children into work, with 61% of respondents saying child labour had increased since 2024. Save the Children found financial hardship (45%) and the need for children to work to support families (42%) were the key reasons for 79% of children not attending school [1]. The drought in Afghanistan is now in its fourth consecutive year, causing nearly 80% of rain- fed wheat crops to fail in several provinces. About 85% of families from a survey of 535 households reported a significant or moderate decrease in the availability of water in September 2025 compared with 2024 and about half of the children in the impacted provinces do not have daily access to clean water. Rising food costs are putting further pressure on families, with prices increasing in Afghanistan due to Iran halting exports – which accounts for 30% of Afghanistan’s imports [2] – and the disruption of trade with Pakistan. About 9 million children – or one in three – are facing severe hunger, and 3. 7 million children aged under five are acutely malnourished, according to the IPC, the global hunger monitoring body [3]. Two thirds of people surveyed by Save the Children said their children had visible signs of poor growth, including thinness and stunting, with just over half of pregnant or breastfeeding mothers saying that they were eating less than usual [1]. Belqis*, 30, lives in drought-devastated northern Afghanistan with her husband and six children, including Sultana*, a one-year-old girl. Sultana* is being treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) at a Save the Children clinic where she has received supplementary food and medicines. Belqis* said: “We can’t afford better nutrition. The only thing she gets is milk, and my milk is not sufficient because I don’t have enough food, especially the food the doctors tell me to eat. “The drought has severely affected our lives. Before we could grow crops and produce most of our own food – now we need to buy everything, including wheat, from the market. Before we even had our own melon and watermelon. ” Zarin*, a nutrition nurse who works in the Save the Children clinic, added: “The children in this village lack proper food, and most of them don’t have a full stomach. Children are thin, and the growth of children is lower than normal due to drought, a lack of safe drinking water and poverty. ” Nearly three quarters of families are resorting to loans and credit to buy food in the drought-affected provinces assessed by Save the Children as unemployment increases. More than a quarter of respondents said they had lost jobs in the four months before September 2025. More than nine out of 10 families rely on temporary work for income, with job opportunities scarce as water sources dry up and crops cannot be planted [1]. Bujar Hoxha, Country Director, Save the Children in Afghanistan, said: “Drought is silently destroying children’s lives. The toll of four years of a drastic lack of water is clear – children are hungry, working and out of school. “Land that once grew crops is parched. Livelihoods are decimated. Children should not be paying the price for this climate-fueled catastrophe. “Afghanistan is facing a convergence of crises at a time when funding has been slashed and needs are immense. Nearly four million children are acutely malnourished, more than five million people have returned from Pakistan and Iran, the country is still reeling from the impacts of massive earthquakes last year – and rising food prices are threatening to increase hunger. “Donors must urgently scale up flexible funding to prevent more children from being pushed into hunger and work and out of school. ” Save the Children provides multi-purpose cash assistance to reduce financial pressure on drought-affected families, improve and stabilise food consumption, and enhance protection for children. Nearly 650 households, including 382 female-headed households, have received two rounds of cash assistance in Jawzjan and Faryab provinces. Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programmes in 9 provinces and work with partners in an additional 11 provinces. We deliver services spanning health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods. References: [1] Save the Children Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Report, 2025. A mixed-methods approach combined quantitative (household surveys) and qualitative (Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions) tools to assess the drought’s impact. 535 households were selected through simple random sampling across 4 provinces (Balkh, Jawzjan, SarePul, and Faryab) and 16 districts in September 2025 through household surveys, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). The sample included 35% children, 65% adults, and 10% people with disabilities. [2] https: //thedocs. worldbank. org/en/doc/84116346a00db27c63e041f86892ba01-0310012026/original/Afghanistan-Economic-Monitor-December-2025. pdf [3] https: //www. savethechildren. net/news/afghanistan-more-one-three-children-facing-crisis-levels-hunger-winter-start
Drought fuels child labour and school absences in northern Afghanistan – Save the Children
RELATED ARTICLES
