Concern Worldwide:
Relief in Afghanistan

Concern Worldwide, an international relief organization founded in Ireland in 1968 (with offices in New York) to provide humanitarian aid to the poorest regions in 26 countries across four continents, has had a presence in Afghanistan since 1998. After the terrorist attacks of September 11 in New York and Washington, Concern workers were evacuated when the Taliban announced that it could no longer guarantee their safety, leaving relief efforts in the hands of a dedicated local staff. The evacuated staff, however, did not go far but moved into neighboring Pakistan until it was safe to return to Afghanistan. At Quetta, in Pakistan, Concern has been responsible for the establishment and management of two refugee camps with the capacity to care for 50,000 refugees. In northeast Afghanistan, Concern’s work continues on a much expanded scale to distribute food aid and non-food items for internally displaced persons, returnees and other vulnerable local population. Over the next six months, Concern will be allotting over $6 million to its relief operations within the region. ♦