A dignified return

In partnership with the Government of China, UNICEF ensures that returning Afghan families reach home with a kit of essential hygiene supplies

[Photo/UNICEF]

For thousands of Afghan families recently returning from Pakistan, the journey home can be filled with uncertainty. In the first two weeks of April, as many as 8,000 people returned to Afghanistan every day. Some are parents with children, but some are children on their own, separated from their families or caregivers. For those just arriving at the Torkham border crossing, they are often exhausted, vulnerable, and in urgent need of basic supplies.

Thanks to the generous contribution from the People's Republic of China, UNICEF is delivering life-saving hygiene kits to thousands of returnee families – providing not just items, but a message of care, dignity, and solidarity. 

Families are returning home to Afghanistan in increasing numbers, many with nothing but what they can carry. More than half of returnees are children, and many are unaccompanied or separated from their parents and caregivers.[Photo/UNICEF]

For this father returning to Afghanistan with his family, receiving a hygiene kit means he can save his limited income for other household essentials.[Photo/UNICEF]

A first-ever partnership in Afghanistan

In November last year, UNICEF and the Government of China partnered for the first time in Afghanistan to support children's urgent hygiene and sanitation needs, especially for communities facing urgent needs due to migration, natural disasters and diarrhoeal diseases. Through this partnership, UNICEF aims to reach over 28,500 households – or around 289,000 people – with hygiene and water purification supplies.

At the Torkham border alone, UNICEF has distributed more than 5,700 hygiene kits to returning families.

Although it may look chaotic, each distribution site is a well-organized operation. Families register their names and household members in another area, and by the time they reach the hygiene kit distribution point, UNICEF partners know who they are and if they require a hygiene kit.[Photo/UNICEF]

What's in a hygiene kit?

Each one contains 14 essential items, including soap, shampoo, reusable sanitary pads, toothbrushes and toothpaste, nail clippers, towels, and water storage containers.

These kits have been positioned across Afghanistan's southern, western and eastern regions, ready for distribution to help protect families from acute watery diarrhoea and other preventable diseases.

Distributions like this one are part of UNICEF's emergency preparedness strategy, ensuring families have the tools they need to stay healthy from day one. As climate change accelerates and displacement increases, this support is more vital than ever.

7-year-old Nazia, 7, stands with her brother at the front of their big family of nine, ready to take her new hygiene kit home. Nazia and her family crossed the border from Pakistan and have returned to settle in Afghanistan.[Photo/UNICEF]

Why are hygiene kits so important for returnee families?

Afghanistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable in the world, with over 12 million people lacking access to safe and clean water for drinking, bathing and cooking.

Years of drought, waterborne disease outbreaks, and a declining water table have left communities exposed to deadly risks – especially children under five.

As families return to the country and begin to resettle, these hygiene kits are a first step toward safety, health, and stability. They represent more than just supplies – they represent solidarity and support for Afghan children and their families.

Returning families do not only receive hygiene items; they also participate in brief educational sessions to understand how best to use these items. They learn tips for storing water safely and reminders on when and how to wash their hands. To respect cultural sensitivities, and so facilitators can speak freely about topics like menstrual hygiene, these sessions are divided for men and women.[Photo/UNICEF]

Armed with supplies and information

In addition to distributing the kits, UNICEF conducts hygiene promotion sessions, teaching families about the importance of handwashing, water safety, and menstrual hygiene. These sessions help families understand how to use each item in the kit effectively, and how to protect themselves from disease in challenging environments.

At Torkham, more than 40,000 people have participated in these hygiene promotion sessions, both at the border zero-point and at the reception centre.

For returning children and families, hygiene is important as they resettle into their lives in Afghanistan. At the Torkham border zero-point and reception centre, UNICEF installed three permanent and 19 moveable handwashing systems to help fight disease.[Photo/UNICEF]

Health and dignity for every returning family

Hygiene is only one component of health and dignity for returning families. UNICEF is also providing clean drinking water through water trucks and permanent wells, so far serving more than 42,000 families at the border, and has installed nearly 200 toilets to keep the reception centre safe and clean.

Beyond immediate relief, this partnership strengthens UNICEF's broader water, sanitation and hygiene efforts, which last year provided nearly 690,000 people with access to safe drinking water through solar-powered systems, provided more than 500,000 people with access to basic sanitation, and declared nearly 1 million communities open-defaecation free.