European Union Allocates €12 Million for Humanitarian Assistance in Southern and South-Western Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – The European Union, via its Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), has allocated €12 million to support humanitarian operations across southern and south-western Afghanistan, INTERSOS announced.

The funding supports the Lifesaving Integrated Framework for Essential Services (LIFES) project, a 12-month initiative scheduled to run from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027. Implemented by INTERSOS alongside partner organisations Solidarités International and Médecins du Monde, the project aims to deliver health, nutrition, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to more than 347,000 people.

Operations will cover 28 target locations across six provinces: Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, Farah, and Nimroz. According to project organizers, the initiative is also expected to indirectly benefit approximately 1.27 million people, while an additional 39,175 individuals may be reached through rapid emergency responses to disease outbreaks, displacement, and climate-related shocks.

The project comes as an estimated 21.9 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian aid in 2026. The participating organisations stated that vulnerable groups—including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with disabilities, and families in remote areas—continue to face obstacles in accessing basic services.

Under the partnership, activities will focus on bolstering primary healthcare, maternal and reproductive health, malnutrition screening and treatment, mental health support, and protection services for women and children. The initiative will additionally address safe water access, sanitation infrastructure, hygiene promotion, and emergency preparedness.

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