Afghanistan is the sixth most climate vulnerable country in the world, and the climate crisis is felt most sharply through water.
When drought degrades the land, families lose the ability to grow food and access safe drinking water. When flash floods hit, homes, crops and livestock are swept away, and the risk of disease rises.
Our specialist climate teams know that resilience begins with breaking this destructive cycle of water stress. By working with communities to build and restore infrastructure and landscapes that manage water more effectively, villages can store water during times of scarcity and slow its flow during heavy rainfall, reducing the risk of devastating floods.
The introduction of the dam has really improved their living conditions, providing flood protection and giving access to clean water for animals.
In 2025, our teams built, rehabilitated and cleaned over 178,000 metres of irrigation systems, and built 136 reservoirs to help communities manage water, enabling them to access clean drinking water, nourish livestock, irrigate their land, protect their local environment and reduce flood risk.
Abdul Sawar, who engaged in a cash-for-work programme to bring a new dam to his village, spoke to us about the impact the dam has had in his community: “In the past, families in the village lived in constant fear of flooding. Homes were often damaged, and agricultural produce was lost. The introduction of the dam has really improved their living conditions, providing flood protection and giving access to clean water for animals. Now, families are starting to recover and regain stability, with hopes for a more secure future.”
