A best-fit response

Editor’s note: Names of people and partners in Afghanistan are not used for security reasons.

As midnight approached on Aug. 31, 2025, families in the highlands of eastern Afghanistan awoke to loud blasts and the sensation of heavy shaking. Roofs and boulders from nearby mountains fell, leaving people and livestock trapped in the rubble.

According to United Nations estimates, approximately 2,000 people were killed, and thousands more injured, when the magnitude 6 earthquake struck. More than 8,500 homes were destroyed, with many families taking temporary shelter in tents set up for displaced people. The loss of loved ones, combined with aftershocks that continued to pulse beneath their feet, left people in a state of fear and uncertainty. 

“It shook heavily, and my house was destroyed,” shares a 35-year-old mother who is living in a tent with relatives. “A big rock rolled from the mountain, fell on my husband, and killed him. My two daughters were injured. We felt that it is the end of the world, and our lives are finished.”

By Sept. 10, staff from an MCC partner were on the ground in Kunar and Nangarhar, two of the hardest-hit provinces, close to the epicenter. Staff visited displaced families at their temporary homes, sat in circles with them and asked about their needs.

Not long after, the partner established a cash distribution site in Nangahar Province, where 209 families (over 1,400 people) were able to receive funds to help cover the cost of essential items. 

By distributing cash, rather than coming in with specific resources, partner staff could ensure that those who had just lost everything could decide what they needed the most — something that varied between families.

During a follow-up visit, staff discovered that over 80% of families had used some of the cash to replace clothing lost in the earthquake. The partner organization’s executive director explains that distributing cash is especially important when people need clothes. “We cannot tell what size is required for each of them,” he explains, so it’s important that families choose items themselves. Many families also bought medicine and cooking utensils, and sometimes food to supplement what had been shared by other organizations.

In determining which of the displaced families would receive cash, the partner prioritized women-led households, the elderly and people with disabilities, helping to ensure that some of the most vulnerable families could meet their basic needs.

The 35-year-old mother was among those who lined up to receive a cash distribution on Sept. 17. She says that the funding will be invaluable to her family. “We really needed cash so that we can buy the things which are important for our life.” 

Sienna Malik is managing editor of A Common Place magazine. Photos are courtesy of the partner organization featured in this story.

Top photo: Men wait at a cash distribution site.