In Afghanistan, approximately 42% of deaths during childhood result from treatable and often preventable illnesses including respiratory infections and diarrhea. Working with the Afghan Ministry of Health to prevent these unnecessary deaths, USAID provided nearly fifty-four metric tons of pharmaceuticals (119,016 lbs.) for use by nineteen nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in fourteen rural Afghan provinces.

The pharmaceutical supplies were distributed to 250 clinics reaching 4.5 million people. The nineteen NGOs are already recipients of USAID’s Rural Expansion of Afghanistan Community-based Healthcare (REACH) performance-based grants - totaling $52 million - used to deliver health services in rural and underserved areas of Afghanistan.

The NGOs operate USAID-funded clinics that directly provide services to more than 1.1 million women of childbearing age, and over three quarters of a million children under age five. The REACH Program specifically addresses the health of women and children by expanding access to quality basic health services in rural areas, including support for the construction and rehabilitation of clinics.