The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says nearly 120,000 women of reproductive age are among those urgently needing assistance following last month’s earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, particularly in Kunar province.
The agency estimated that 11,670 of those women are currently pregnant, calling immediate support for them “a matter of life and death.”
The Sept. 7 earthquake left nearly half a million people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNFPA. Tens of thousands of families have been displaced, with many now sheltering in temporary camps in Nurgal district, where access to food, health care and shelter remains limited.
UNFPA said its response focuses on restoring health, dignity and protection for affected women and girls by delivering integrated maternal and reproductive health services, psychosocial support and measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. The agency is working with mobile health teams, women-to-women services and community networks to provide emergency medical supplies, hygiene kits and menstrual health items.
The fund appealed for $5 million in urgent funding to sustain life-saving assistance for 140,000 people in the earthquake-affected areas between September and December 2025.
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, where poverty and fragile infrastructure amplify the humanitarian toll. UN agencies have repeatedly warned that women and girls are disproportionately affected due to existing restrictions under Taliban rule, including bans on work, education and access to services.
