Facing winter in Afghanistan, a call for compassion
Orphan Sponsorship Scheme
Winter Appeal
When winter arrives in Afghanistan, it brings more than freezing temperatures. For families already displaced by conflict and disaster, winter becomes a season of fear.
With little more than thin tents for shelter, parents watch their children shiver through nights where temperatures can fall as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius. Snow and rain seep through torn fabric, strong winds collapse fragile shelters, and illness spreads quickly among families with no protection from the cold.
For many, winter is not uncomfortable, it is life threatening.
The reality of winter for displaced families
Thousands of Afghan families are living in displacement camps with no solid shelter. Tents offer little defence against snow, freezing rain, and violent winds. When storms hit, shelters can collapse overnight, leaving families exposed to the elements.
Cold brings sickness quickly. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to respiratory illnesses, malnutrition, and injury. With limited access to heating, clean water, and medical care, even minor illness can become dangerous.
Families who have already lost their homes, possessions, and livelihoods are forced to rely on the kindness of others just to survive the winter.
Why winter is especially dangerous
Afghanistan has one of the world’s largest displaced populations. Winter intensifies every hardship. In overcrowded camps, disease spreads easily. Inadequate shelter makes warmth impossible. Hunger increases as food becomes scarce and prices rise.
For over twelve years, Aryana Aid has responded each winter with food, heating fuel, warm bedding, and emergency shelter, helping families survive conditions that could otherwise be fatal.
Real lives protected
During last winter’s response, families who received winter packs were able to keep their children warm, prepare hot meals, and endure the coldest months with greater safety.
Emergency shelters provided insulated space for sleeping, cooking, and washing, protecting families from snowstorms and freezing winds. For parents, this meant relief from constant fear. For children, it meant warmth, rest, and a chance to stay healthy.
These interventions are not luxuries. They are the difference between survival and severe hardship.
What your support provides
Serving orphans and widows with dignity
Winter hits vulnerable families hardest, especially orphans and widows who have lost their main source of protection and income.
Within Afghanistan, over two million children have lost one or both parents, and more than 600,000 children face winter nights in overcrowded camps or on exposed streets. Widows caring for children alone are forced to make impossible choices between food, warmth, and safety.
Your support helps protect these families from hunger, illness, and exposure, preserving dignity during the harshest months of the year.
Giving guided by faith
Islam teaches compassion for those in hardship:
“Whoever grants respite to someone in difficulty or relieves him, Allah will shade him on the Day of Resurrection when there is no shade but His.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
Your Zakat, Lillah, and Sadaqah provide more than material aid. They fulfil a duty of mercy, protecting life when it is most at risk.
Say yes to Humanity
Annual Report
We are pleased to submit last year’s Annual Report, which shows our most valued achievements only possible thanks to your donations. We hope this assures our donors about our commitment to our causes. Review the report by clicking the download button below. Thank You!
Rebuilding Lives & Communities
Annual Report 2026
[Download]
Transparency and trust
Aryana Aid is committed to transparent and responsible use of donations. Our Annual Report documents how winter aid and other programmes have supported vulnerable families across Afghanistan.
Through your generosity, Aryana Aid has supported orphans, widows, displaced families, and those facing medical emergencies, delivering aid where it is needed most.
Help families survive this winter
Your support today can mean warmth instead of freezing nights, shelter instead of exposure, and hope instead of fear.
Our Work in Pictures
A visual insight into where your money goes