Helping Afghans start over with dignity

Since 2023, Pakistan and Iran have been deporting Afghan refugees or pressuring them to leave. A staggering six million Afghans have now returned to a country mired in humanitarian catastrophe, including extreme hunger and rising poverty.

Many are arriving with few belongings, little money and no home or job to return to. For families who have spent years or even decades living outside Afghanistan, starting again can feel overwhelming.

Donations from generous Australians are providing urgent relief. With your support, UNHCR is providing cash assistance, tents, blankets and other vital supplies – giving people like Qasim a chance to find their feet.

Forced to leave everything behind

Qasim’s family fled Afghanistan when he was just seven. After two decades in Pakistan, he was forced to abandon his tailoring business and leave Rawalpindi at very short notice.

“They would arrest and harass us,” says Qasim. “There were many problems and we were facing difficult conditions. We only brought some of our belongings with us, the rest stayed behind.”

For Qasim, leaving Pakistan meant walking away from the life and livelihood he had built over many years. He returned to Afghanistan unsure of what would come next.

A helping hand

At the Afghan border, Qasim’s family received much-needed cash assistance from UNHCR. These payments help families cover immediate costs such as food, medicine, rent and transport, while allowing them to decide what they need most.

“It is very good, because we have just arrived. We can buy food and pay for the treatment of a sick family member,” says Qasim.

"This kind of assistance is also very good for other Afghans. Many of them are newly arrived, just like us. They don’t have homes, some don’t have work, and with this help, they can begin rebuilding their lives.”

For families arriving with so little, this assistance can be a lifeline in the difficult days and weeks after their return.

Looking to the future

Qasim’s priorities are simple but urgent: to find a home to rent and begin working as a tailor again.

Returning to the trade he built in Pakistan would give him a way to support his family as they adjust to life in Afghanistan.

In the face of so much uncertainty, Qasim shows remarkable strength and determination.

“It will take time, but I won’t lose hope,” says Qasim. “I trust in God.”

Your compassion is helping UNHCR show up for families like Qasim’s when they arrive, providing the urgent assistance they need to start over.