AOAD History

 We are a core member of the Afghan Campaign to Bann Landmine (ACBL). AOAD is an active stakeholder in the United Nations Humanitarians Country Team (HCT/UNOCHA), and a member of the UN health, FSAC, and Mine Action clusters.  AOAD is a former Steering Committee member of ACBAR and a member of the Afghan C.S.O.’s Network. As a disability partner, before 15 August 2021, AOAD was closely working with the government and its line ministries, like the State Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Refugees and Returnees (MORR), Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), and Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). AOAD received official Accreditation from the Directorate of Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) to implement projects for Victim Assistance, Persons with Disabilities, and conduct Mine Risk Education (MRE) projects.  AOAD is an active program partner of the World Food Program WFP, European Union (EU) for a Consortium project with Swadesh Committee for Afghanistan and Save the Children International (EU, SCA/SCI). We are also long-term partner of the U.S. Department of State Weapon Removal Abatement (PM/WRA), Counterpart International (ACEP/CPI/USAID), WHO, Danish refugee Council DRC, AAR-Japan, UN-HABITAT, UNMAS, the UN country Humanitarian Funds (CHF). and IRC.   As a major disability actor in Afghanistan, and internationally AOAD is extensively involved in world disability rights campaigns and advocacy. AOAD officially represents the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies & Environment (GAATES) Canada, in Afghanistan. As a disability rights expert organization, AOAD has received several international disability awards and has cross-fertilized Afghan disability experience across 19 countries in the field of disability inclusion and disability rights and advocacy. 

• As per the available national statistics, 13.9% Afghan Population have Severe disabilities which are more prevalent among females (14.9%) compared to males (12.6%). Among children aged 2–17 years, 17.3% have a mild, moderate, or severe disability. The incidence of severe disability among adults and children, which stood at 2.7% in 2005, has risen steeply to 13.9%, putting Afghanistan in unprecedented healthcare territory. Persons with Disabilities are among the 90% population which lives under the poverty line as the poorest of the poor in Afghanistan. Disability specialists have noted that this figure is estimated to be lowered due to the high mortality rate in Afghanistan from poor care for people with disability. They hypothesize that if access to quality care was improved, the rate of disability would be higher as more disabled persons would have survived and lived.
• 80% of the Afghan population lives more than 100km from a physical rehabilitation center and 20 out of 34 provinces do not have Prostheses and Orthoses facilities.
• Lack of access to adequate, expert care can leave persons with disabilities confined to their homes for weeks, months, or years, with ordinary conditions which could easily be addressed or alleviated by appropriate interventions.

However, with all these consequences Persons with Disabilities are living in a very vulnerable condition as the poorest of the poor in the country, experiencing widespread violations of their rights and dignity as a neglected portion of the population because of the decades stretched war and violence in Afghanistan.