Save the Children: 25,000 Children Still Living in Tents Six Months After Kunar Earthquake

Six months after a deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, Save the Children reports that approximately 25,000 children in Kunar province continue to live in tents, with many damaged by recent snowfall and rain. The organization stated that homes and schools remain unrepaired, with no clear timeline for reconstruction, leaving families dependent on humanitarian aid.

The earthquake on August 31, or September 9 by some accounts, measured around 6.0-6.2 magnitude and epicentered in Kunar's Nurgal district. It killed more than 2,000 people, including 2,205 in Kunar per government figures cited by Pajhwok, injured thousands and destroyed over 8,000 homes and more than half of nearly 1,300 assessed classrooms. Prior to the quake, about 50,000 primary-school-age children in Kunar were out of school; now over 17,000 study in temporary open-air or makeshift spaces.

Over 6,000 displaced families live in camps, using wood or coal stoves that raise fire risks in the mountainous terrain. Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children representative in Afghanistan, said: "Families in Kunar fear being forgotten. Children need safe homes and schools, and long-term financing is essential to rebuild their lives." The crisis worsens with the return of 2.9 million Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, some settling in affected areas.

The UN estimates 4.2 million people nationwide need shelter this year. Afghanistan's Ministry of Urban Development and Housing reported last month completing topographic surveys for a planned settlement in Kunar and starting construction of 10 additional homes, per provincial housing chief Mawlawi Nabillah Talha.