Afghanistan: About 25,000 children are living and learning in tents six months after the deadly earthquake – Afghanistan

The earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31 last year was one of the deadliest earthquakes ever to hit the country, killing more than 2,000 people and destroying or damaging more than 8,000 homes, forcing children and families to take refuge in tents.

KABUL, 26 February 2026 – About 25,000 children are living in tents in Afghanistan’s Kunar province six months after a devastating earthquake destroyed lives and livelihoods, with homes and schools yet to be rebuilt and no timeline for reconstruction, Save the Children said. [1].

The earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31 last year was one of the deadliest to ever hit the country, killing more than 2,000 people and destroying or damaging more than 8,000 homes, forcing children and families to take refuge in tents, some of which were damaged by recent heavy snowfall in the remote region.

Families rely on traditional wood- or coal-fired heaters to provide warmth inside tents made of tarpaulin, which creates a risk of fire. The process of rebuilding homes in the mountainous region has barely begun, with the level of destruction in some villages so high that they will never be rebuilt.

The earthquake completely or partially destroyed more than half of the approximately 1,300 classrooms evaluated [2]. Before the earthquake, nearly 50,000 primary school-age children were out of school in Kunar, the province worst affected by the disaster. [3].

Construction work has not begun on damaged or destroyed classrooms, and about 17,000 children from damaged schools are studying in temporary accommodation throughout the areas devastated by the earthquake. [4].

Maria*, 12, is in the first grade in Save the Children’s makeshift classroom in Kunar camp. Six months ago, Maria* and her eight siblings were forced to make a perilous journey in search of safety after their entire village was damaged by an earthquake.

She studied outdoors under the trees in her mountain village, but she would miss classes if the weather was bad because her school did not have any buildings.

Maria* said:

“We spent two nights on the road without any shelter, then we came to this camp where we were provided with tents and other basic supplies that helped us.

“Before this chapter [in the temporary learning space]I was in my village without any modern learning tools, and I could not read or write. Now, I see many changes in my life. “I can read books, I can write anything, and this school helped me turn my dreams into reality.”

More than 6,000 families living in camps in Kunar are still dependent on aid and assistance, having lost their homes and sources of income. These families were earning between US$75 and US$120 per month before the earthquake through agriculture, livestock rearing and other small-scale household businesses. [5] But now it depends on cash alms.

Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children’s country director in Afghanistan, said:

“Six months after the earthquake devastated people’s lives and communities, children are still living and learning in tents. It is necessary to rebuild schools and homes.

“Families in Kunar fear they will be forgotten. They depend on aid provided by Save the Children and other humanitarian organisations, and this situation is unlikely to change in the coming months.

“As needs across Afghanistan continue to rise and funding declines, we cannot allow earthquake-devastated communities to be left behind. Families need hope that they can rebuild their shattered lives, and this requires sustainable funding.”

The need for funding in eastern Afghanistan remains enormous at a time of increasing competing demands for limited assistance.

In 2025 alone, more than 2.9 million Afghans returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan [6]with some settling in the same area devastated by the earthquake. According to the United Nations, about 4.2 million people across Afghanistan need shelter support this year [7].

Save the Children works in the affected provinces, so it was among the first international organizations to respond to the earthquake in Kunar where most of the victims occurred.

Save the Children has so far created 30 temporary learning spaces for around 1,500 children, and also provides healthcare, water and sanitation services, shelter, bedding and hygiene kits, multi-purpose cash assistance and psychosocial support to children in childcare centres. To date, we have supported nearly 89,000 people in earthquake-affected areas, including about 34,000 children.

Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programs in 9 provinces and work with partners in 11 additional provinces. We provide services including health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods.

References:

*Indicates name change to protect identity

[1] The number of children in tents was calculated using the number of households in tents and an average of 7 people/household with an average of 5 children per household.

[2] Joint Educational Needs Assessment Report, September 2025. Of the 1,281 classrooms assessed, 717 were completely or partially destroyed.

[3] Joint Rapid Recovery Needs Assessment, November 2025 https://afghanistan.un.org/en/307176-joint-rapid-recovery-needs-assessment-report-earthquakes-kunar-nangarhar%C2%A0and-laghman

[4] Afghanistan Education Group

[5] Joint Rapid Recovery Needs Assessment, November 2025 https://afghanistan.un.org/en/307176-joint-rapid-recovery-needs-assessment-report-earthquakes-kunar-nangarhar%C2%A0and-laghman

[6] https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/afghanistan

[7] https://humanitarianaction.info/plan/1502/document/humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-afghanistan-2026/article/emergency-shelter-and-nfi-1

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