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ECI to Close Operations April 2026

February 2026

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It is with heavy hearts that we share an important update about the future of the Enabled Children Initiative (ECI). After more than a decade of supporting children with disabilities in Afghanistan, we will be closing down the organization at the end of April 2026.

This decision has not been made lightly. Despite the unwavering dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors, we now face challenges we can no longer overcome: a sustained lack of funding, and insufficient leadership and governance capacity to continue operating responsibly and effectively. These barriers leave us unable to meet the standards of stewardship and oversight that our mission—and our community—deserve.  As we reflect on our journey, we are immensely proud of what ECI has been able to accomplish together with you.

Since 2013, ECI has supported thousands of children and youth with disabilities, and their families, across Afghanistan through a range of programs designed to meet both urgent and long-term needs. These included:

Window of Hope Care Home, providing full‑time residential care to orphaned and abandoned children with disabilities.

The Enabled Children School, Kabul’s first day school for children with all types of disabilities, offering adaptive education and rehabilitation services.

The Community‑Based Disability Awareness & Support Program, which helped over 1,000 families across multiple provinces with training, cash stipends, psychosocial support, healthcare referrals, and community dialogue to reduce stigma.

The Social Integration and Vocational Training Program for youth and young women with disabilities, helping them build skills and participate more fully in society.

Emergency Relief and Income‑Generation Support, offering assistance to families in crisis, including those affected by poverty or natural disasters.

The Mirza Gul Family Fund, supporting children in Nangarhar who survived landmine injuries and required long‑term educational and rehabilitative support.

Thanks to your generosity, thousands of children and families received education, care, dignity, and hope at moments when they needed it most.  

What has not diminished is the profound need. Children and families living with disabilities in Afghanistan continue to face immense hardship, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who has stood with them through ECI. As we close our doors, we encourage you to consider redirecting your charitable support to organizations continuing this vital work, such as PARSA or Uplift Afghanistan. Please reach out to us if you would like us to make direct introductions to these organizations.

Though ECI as an institution is coming to an end, our commitment to Afghanistan and to persons with disabilities there does not end with it. As individuals, we will always remain advocates, using our voices and capacities wherever possible to support their dignity, inclusion, and wellbeing.  Thank you for believing in this mission, for empowering some of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable children, and for walking this journey with us over these many years. Your compassion has made a lasting difference.

With gratitude,

Lael Mohib, Founder & Board Member
Siavash Rahbari, Chair of the Board of Trustees

On behalf of the Board of Trustees

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