International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The IRC in Afghanistan

An Afghan girl reads to her class in front of a blackboard
Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

Afghanistan’s challenges are enormous. Its people have endured three decades of wide-scale conflict, and at the same time have suffered from frequent natural calamities such as droughts, floods and earthquakes. From emergency response to education and development, the International Rescue Committee is helping to make a difference.

How We Help

  • The IRC began working with Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 1980, and started implementing programs inside Afghanistan in 1988. Currently working in seven of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, the IRC’s staff is 98% Afghan.
  • The IRC's education support is a cornerstone of our comprehensive programs to renew dignity and increase self-reliance for the Afghan people. 
  • The IRC works in partnership with close to a thousand communities across Afghanistan as they identify, plan and manage their own development projects. 
  • The IRC focuses on providing returning refugees and internally displaced Afghans with shelter, water and sanitation, and restoring the nation’s health, infrastructure and economy.