Covering the earthquake response in Afghanistan

Three 6.3 magnitude earthquakes rocked Herat Province in October 2023, impacting over 100,000 people and destroying 100 percent of all the homes in the worst-affected areas. By mid-October, more than 1,300 people were reported killed and 1,800 injured. A series of subsequent aftershocks compelled people to seek refuge in open spaces, makeshift tents, or informal sites, exposing them to health and protection risks.

The earthquakes struck Afghanistan during an ongoing humanitarian crisis following the Taliban takeover in 2021, and existing aid groups were experiencing a lack of funds prior to the disaster. Cordaid is providing needs-based emergency relief and early recovery assistance to those affected by conflict or natural disasters, with special care for women, children, the elderly, the disabled and the chronically ill.

Faipicture photographer Sayed met Cordaid staff in the affected villages and portrayed the surroundings, the devastation as well as the rehabilitation of homes, the humanitarians at work, interacting with the villagers and some of the affected population.

Shortly after Sayeds visit he submitted his documentary photos and interviews with the affected people and humanitarians in Herat. The material will now be used for a publication in a print magazine and an online magazine and distributed through various online (social) media channels with politicians, policy influencers (advocating for continued humanitarian support for Afghanistan) and humanitarian sector professionals as the main target audiences. The publication date was planned for October 2024, exactly one year after the earthquake.