Emergency Relief Fund
Supporting families in poverty & affected by disasters who have a member with a disability.
about the Emergency relief fund
The Emergency Relief Fund provides emergency assistance and income generation support to families with disabled children & family members who are in a desperate situation, living in poverty, or affected by natural disaster. The fund was originally launched in 2019 as the ‘Frozan Fund’, and renamed the Emergency Relief Fund in 2023 to reflect the widening scope of the program. Since August 2021, the Emergency Relief Fund has been primarily focused on implementing emergency relief for those in need due to humanitarian and natural disaster in Afghanistan. Since August, our team has delivered over 3,000 hot meals to internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and orphans, medical aid to IDP families, and dry food packages and cash assistance to over 200 families in need.
For many families in Afghanistan, particularly those living in poverty, raising a child with a disability can be an overwhelming responsibility, as can being a parent with a disability. Save the Children issued a report on the lives of children in Afghanistan in 2022, which found that children with disabilities are bearing the brunt of this disaster. Afghan families with disability in their household are most likely to have children resorting to hard labor to make ends meet and were four times more likely to have lost their income over the past year. Human Rights Watch also reported that in 2022 persons with disabilities were routinely overlooked in humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, though they were some of the most vulnerable and needy populations.
The Emergency Relief Fund helps families cope by providing emergency cash stipends, food packages and winter kits, or small grants for families to invest in sustainable income generation.
ECI's cash distribution to families with children with disabilities affected from earthquake
October 28, 2023: Our team in the Herat province conducted a cash distribution program for 100 families with children with disabilities who were affected by recent earthquake.
History of the Fund
The Emergency Relief Fund originated in 2019, inspired by the volunteer activities of ECI employee, Frozan, herself a woman with a disability. Frozan is a humanitarian worker in her own right, using her savings and spare time to assist families in need in her community. Inspired by Frozan’s spirit of giving, and to support the work she initiated, ECI launched the Frozan Fund in 2019. In 2022, the program grew and was renamed the Emergency Relief Fund, expanding its reach to provinces outside of Kabul, and providing emergency aid packages and cash stipends to those affected by natural disasters and the humanitarian crisis.
Supported families by FROZAN FUND:
