Feminist Response to Crises in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Lebanon

The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan as the ruling power. This is a critical crisis for women, girls, and marginalized communities across Afghanistan. 

This is what we are hearing from our advisors in the region: health clinics and refugee facilities are overwhelmed; some universities are now closed to women; women are being removed from their work posts; schools are being segregated by gender; and basic resources like food and shelter are scarce.

The situation is dire. We need to support and fund gender justice groups on the ground to continue their crucial human rights work. We also need to protect and relocate women human rights defenders who are in danger.

We’ve supported grassroots groups working for women’s human rights in Afghanistan for over two decades, and we will continue to support partners working for gender justice in Afghanistan and the greater region today, tomorrow, and in the years to come. Global Fund for Women has funded feminist groups and networks in Afghanistan since 1993, mobilizing over $1 million dollars to 19 feminist and gender justice organizations and movements.

We are working just as hard to support our partners in crisis in Haiti and in Lebanon. Our Crisis Fund has supported partners during health crises, including COVID-19; political upheavals; and in the wake of natural disasters. Since establishing a standing Crisis Fund in 2014, we have awarded $6.5 million to 236 organizations responding to crisis in 60 countries. Now is a critical moment for crisis response, and we need your support to continue to respond quickly and effectively.

Women often take on the brunt of crisis response, acting as frontline healthcare workers, unpaid caregivers, and community mobilizers. Communities are vulnerable to gender-based violence, lost access to sexual and reproductive health services, and disruptions in their livelihoods and financial security. But grassroots and feminist groups seldom receive dedicated support to respond to their communities’ urgent crisis needs. Our Crisis Fund fills a critical gap in the humanitarian aid ecosystem by putting flexible, core support funding directly in the hands of grassroots groups in the aftermath of crises.  

The bottom line is that we’ve been supporting groups in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Lebanon for decades—and we won’t stop now. 

We know that gender justice groups on the ground in Afghanistan need resources now, but you can also help influence and raise visibility around this crisis by taking these actions:

• Share this article widely: “Women and Girls in Afghanistan are ‘Petrified.’ This is what women’s rights organizations are doing about it.” Global Fund for Women CEO and President Latanya Mapp Frett is quoted along with leading gender justice advocates in this NBC News article. 
• Amplify our thread on social media about this crisis, and actions people can take. 
• Call the White House at 202-456-1111 or  email via the contact form and demand that the Biden Administration immediately create a special humanitarian parole category for Afghan women leaders and prioritize and expedite their safe removal to the United States or another safe location.