Diaspora Programme

Afghan Diaspora

Afghanistan has been in protracted conflict for 40 years, leading millions of Afghans to flee their home and seek refuge across borders close and far. Some of them returned, more than 6 million live currently outside of Afghanistan. The Afghan diaspora communities play a crucial role in providing aid, relief measures and sharing information on migration for women and men left behind.

Our Work with Afghan Diaspora

Our work with the Afghan diaspora is guided by considering the local circumstances they are operating in, as well as the nature and dynamics of their engagement. Why is this important?

The Afghan diaspora is diverse. Their engagement towards Afghanistan is based on different motivations, positions, and affiliations. Most significantly, it is personal. Therefore, our programming with diasporas does not follow a one-size fits all approach. It is based on social, cultural, and local contexts.

We aim to support and strengthen Afghan diasporas capacities in four areas: Protection, humanitarian response, advocacy, and economic recovery. More than 440 Afghan diaspora networks have received either financial or technical support through our different projects over the past two decades. Since the takeover of the Taliban in August 2021, civil society space is increasingly shrinking. We currently focus on gender-sensitive activities and research, promoting, among others, women-led Afghan diaspora networks, who work towards increasing women’s and girl’s rights in Afghanistan.