The International Committee of the Red Cross Appeal focuses on several activities in Afghanistan, including:

• Offering protection and emergency assistance (including the provision of food and non-food assistance) to civilians afflicted by conflict or disaster.
• Supporting the activities of the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society.
• Promoting international humanitarian law to parties involved in the conflict.
• Protecting detainees and helping them keep in contact with their families.
• Improving water and sanitation services.
• Providing infrastructure support to hospital care and services.
• Assisting mine victims with prosthetic care and reintegration back into society.

A young Afghan learns how to walk again with prosthetic limbs provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

© International Committee of the Red Cross / James Nachtwey

A family waits for food distribution to begin, provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

© British Red Cross / Ash Sweeting

The international Committee of the Red Cross begins construction of a water tank at a hospital in Jalalabad.

© International Committee of the Red Cross / K. Zaman

Canada’s contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross has helped achieve the following significant results:

• In 2010, the ICRC carried out visits to over 14,000 detainees held by the Afghan authorities, US forces, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force or armed groups, including over 1,500 detainees monitored individually, to check on their treatment and living conditions and provide assistance whenever necessary.
• With the Afghan Red Crescent, the organization continued to run a comprehensive medical programme, involving first aid, referrals, medical and surgical hospital care, and primary health care.
• The organization improved water quantity and quality for some 166,200 people in urban and rural areas. It also provided over 81,100 conflict-affected people with food and 48,200 with livelihood support.

• International Committee of the Red Cross
• International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan