25,000 children still living in tents six months after deadly Kunar quake, says aid group

Six months after a massive earthquake devastated eastern Afghanistan, about 25,000 children in Kunar province are still living in tents with no clear timeline for reconstruction, the aid group Save the Children said in a statement on Thursday.

The 31 August earthquake—one of the deadliest to strike Afghanistan—killed more than 2,000 people and damaged or destroyed over 8,000 homes, leaving families in makeshift shelters that have since been battered by winter snowfall. Reconstruction in the mountainous region has barely begun, and some villages may never be rebuilt, the organisation said.

More than half of nearly 1,300 assessed classrooms were destroyed or heavily damaged. Construction on schools has yet to start, leaving around 17,000 students studying in temporary learning spaces.

More than 6,000 displaced families continue to rely on humanitarian support after losing their homes and incomes, which previously averaged US$75–120 a month from agriculture and small-scale work. Many now depend entirely on cash assistance.

Bujar Hoxha, Country Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, said: “As needs across Afghanistan continue to rise while funding declines, we cannot allow the communities devastated by the earthquake to be left behind. Families need hope that their shattered lives can be rebuilt, and that requires sustained funding.”

The housing crisis has intensified as more than 2.9 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, with some settling in areas hit by the quake.

The United Nations estimates about 4.2 million people across Afghanistan need shelter support this year.