Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan

By Matt Daley and David Montgomery

Much ink has been spilled over the ill-judged policies promulgated by Presidents Trump and Biden that led to the August 2021 debacle at Hamid Karzai International Airport. American credibility and honor were shredded as our Afghan allies were largely abandoned and the Taliban took over. Thirteen US military personnel lost their lives at the airport, more than had been killed in the preceding four years. Afghanistan’s economy was shattered and full-fledged humanitarian crisis blossomed. This essay will not scrutinize the many and varied missteps on the road to that tragedy or the many and grievous violations of human rights by the Taliban, the de facto rulers of Afghanistan. Rather it will look at the situation on the ground today with respect to the humanitarian crisis and the steps being taken to address it.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan overshadows events elsewhere in the world in terms of the size of the population in dire need. (It is conceivable that developments in Ukraine would give that country the dismal top billing.) The World Food Program (a UN agency) cites predictions that over half the population will experience critical or emergency levels of food insecurity, while 95% of the population simply does not have enough to eat. Millions of Afghans are displaced internally or in neighboring countries. To address this situation, a virtual donor conference was convened in March 2022 by Germany, the U.K., Qatar and the U.N. with the goal of raising $4.4 billion for emergency relief. It obtained pledges of half that amount with the U.K. pledging $376 million while the U.S. pledged $204 million. As a matter of policy, no U.S. aid will go to the Taliban which the US does not recognize as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Instead, it will be provided to the UN and to NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations).

This vital humanitarian assistance addresses, however inadequately, the immediate humanitarian crisis, but does little to affect an economy that has cratered. International aid which equaled 40% of the country’s GDP was terminated almost immediately and a variety of sanctions were placed on Afghanistan. By the end if 2021, the economy had contracted by twenty percent. According to BBC, soaring unemployment makes it impossible for many to feed their families.  Markets are full because no one can afford to buy.  Beyond economic distress, women and girls are in perilous circumstances with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights declaring earlier this year that “what we are witnessing in Afghanistan today is the institutionalized, systematic oppression of women…facing the worst-case scenario many feared.” Needless to say perhaps, political repression is endemic even if its direction is decentralized.

The Taliban was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Group two decades ago, thus blocking its access to assets in the U.S. U.S. persons (to include corporations) may not conduct financial transactions nor provide material support or resources to the Taliban or designated individuals or organizations. However, a series of general licenses issued by the Treasury Department authorize a range of support for humanitarian activities in Afghanistan. (The exemptions for humanitarian aid and individual remittances are described here.)  Uncertainty regarding the meaning of the exemptions has led to pronounced caution by financial institutions that have no desire to inadvertently get crosswise with the U.S. government. Within Congress, there is a variety of views on how best to pursue humanitarian relief while not providing support to the Taliban’s rule.

Besides the U.S. government, a number of UN agencies and NGOs have been engaged in attempting to alleviate the plight of the Afghan people. Beyond the UN, these organizations which rely heavily or entirely on private donations include:

• Catholic Relief Services
• Care Afghanistan
• International Rescue Committee
• JHPIEGO (affiliated with Johns Hopkins University) 
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) 
• Mercy Corps
• OXFAM
• Save the Children
• International Committee of the Red Cross 
• The Asia Foundation
• World Bank
• World Vision International

Much of the most effective aid has been rendered by these NGOs and private individuals which operate more flexibly and with fewer regulatory constraints than government institutions. In this context, we wish to commend to potential donors one such individual who is personally known to the Chesapeake Observer editorial staff, Father Peter Gray, P.S.S.  Fr. Peter is a Catholic priest and internationally recognized artist who has dedicated his life to charitable work around the world.  Now with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the families he supports need more than sales of his artwork can supply.  He writes that “My families are in fact praying tonight more urgently for this help, pray every day for me and tonight at midnight, they will have a special time for storming heaven, their faith is strong and real. They have unwavering faith in us in America to come to the rescue.” 

Father Peter works independently of the main Catholic charities, directly assisting individuals and families that he has come to know over the years.  In Afghanistan, he started helping 3 families to pay rent, buy food and medicine long before American abandoned them, and now their situation would be desperate without him.  He is committed to sending monthly remittances to these families and has found reliable ways of making individual remittances consistent with Treasury Department rules.  

We know his contacts as Kamran, Aash and Najeeb, for security reasons.

Some photographs they have sent to Fr. Peter put a face on conditions in Afghanistan and the immense gratitude of those who are able to purchase even the minimal necessities of life.  These stories are repeated countless times.

Fr Peter considers Kamran his student, though they have never met in person. He found Kamran and several of his friends online in Facebook, where Kamran was learning English and was happy for Fr. Peter to assist him. Since then they have had long conversations about Christianity and Islam, and Fr. Peter learned that Kamran is both a boxer and a poet. He is very impressed with Kamran’s intelligence, sensitivity and character.

Kamran is now 22 and lives with his parents and 9 siblings in Kabul. One of Fr. Peter’s ambitions is to raise enough money to establish Kamran with a savings account so that he can qualify for a visa to enter the U.S. and study under Fr. Peter’s sponsorship. Whenever Fr. Peter has some additional income from art sales and contributions, Kamran and his family benefit. 

Aash has four children, and his mother and cousin live with them. Najeeb is a graduate with a degree in botany, and at 24 years old he supports a young wife, mother and cousin. Fr. Peter sends each of them $350 per month.

Basic staples and rent are more than many families can afford.  The ability to purchase some staples like rice and flour makes all the difference. Work is difficult for families hiding from the Taliban to find, and risks exposure.  With winter now at hand, Fr Gray raised some additional funds so that two of his families could purchase blankets and small kerosene heaters, since they like many are without heat in the Kabul winter with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s (deg F). 

To contribute to Fr. Gray’s work, this link leads to his account at the crowd-funding site GiveSendGo.