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Since 1985 Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan to meet the needs of Afghan children and families by working to help them improve their lives through programs in health, education and child protection. We have done this throughout years of war, socio-political turmoil, drought and oppression. The challenges are daunting, especially for children and women.
Afghanistan is ranked in the State of the World's Mothers Report as the worst place in the world to be a mother. In 2011 AusAID has committed to a four year ($35.7 million) framework agreement with Save the Children aiming to enhance access, quality and use of basic health, education and nutrition services across all six districts of Uruzgan. The project is an ambitious one involving infrastructure projects, training and support to health and education institutions, improving access and participation in schools and health clinics, and community based capacity development in the key areas of health, nutrition and education. Current emergency response- More than 1 million Afghan children are at risk of going hungry following poor harvests that mean families don't have enough food to last through the winter. Find out more.
Read our latest report below, Afghanistan in Transition: Putting children at the heart of development. A decade since the international intervention began, this report encourages the community to celebrate the achievements but also acknowledge the challenges that remain.
Quality Primary Education Program
The Quality Primary Education Project in Uruzgan is implemented by Save the Children with financial support from the Dutch Government. The project address two urgent needs of the education system in Uruzgan province: to upgrade the quality of the teaching force and to improve on physical infrastructure for education. The overall project will construct: 30 community-based safe, accessible and child friendly schools 67 boundary walls for additional schools 4 resource centres and provide furniture to these spaces
The construction will be carried out with full community participation and local materials to ensure sustainability of the schools. Save the Children Australia currently have four projects in Afghanistan in Kabul, and in Uruzgan and Bamiyan province. Projects specifically target education, health and Disaster Risk Reduction initiatives. School Health Education Programme 
The state of children and maternal health in Afghanistan has been well documented in the past and is characterised as being among the worst globally. One out of every five children in Afghanistan dies before his or her fifth birthday. Many of these deaths are preventable. Save the Children is working alongside the Australian Government to prioritise health and education in the ongoing development in Afghanistan. The main causes of infancy deaths can be linked to:Training workshops for children, teachers, out of school children, community elders and parents on health and hygiene education to enable them to identify their health priorities and needs. During one of our trainings, a community health worker said:
"three years back we did not know about soap and hand washing with soap, but now we are familiar with it. We buy soap and shampoo from the bazaar and use it for hand and body washing."
This program supported the Ministry of Education's goal of increasing net enrollment of students by up to 70% and continues to advocate for the Ministry to include a good hygiene practices as part of the future school curriculum. Disaster Risk Reduction/ Street Patrol in Bamiyan Across Afghanistan, thousands of children are sent out to work by their families. Many of these children can be found working on the streets. Save the Children is actively trying to improve the protection and social care of street working children through its Child Protection program, 'Street Patrols.' 
Many children are employed as:The overall goals are to improve the social protection mechanisms; enhance protection and psychosocial well-being of street working children through improved access to education, health and recreational facilities. The improvement of living conditions and social inclusion opportunities of children at risk, by providing a range of services to improve their life skills and capabilities. Uruzgan Health and Education Program This project is Save the Children Australia's largest project to date. With an existing operational presence in Uruzgan, Save the Children will deliver a four year program. The overall program will focus on:
Save the Children will apply particular emphasis to the role of girls and women. Given the significance of female health and education to the overall development of a community, the exclusion of women from such services perpetuates an ongoing cycle of disadvantage and marginalisation.
The project aims not only to improve the quality of, and access to these services but to also, in consultation with communities, to shift perceptions about the role of women to include the ability to work in such areas. Read more about the innovative partnership between the Australian Government and Save the Children in Uruzgan.
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