Afghanistan earthquake: frequently asked questions

Have you lost contact with your family in Afghanistan - then you can contact our Restoring Family Links service at:

• Web form at www.restoringfamilylinks.be

• Via email: rfl@rodekruis.be

• By phone: 015 44 35 22 (Mon to Fri, 09h-12h30) 

You have contact with them, but you want to see if they can come to Belgium - this is a government decision, best that you contact FPS Foreign Affairs.

As Belgian Red Cross-Flanders , we follow up on the disaster and look at the requests for help from the local partner. This way we guarantee that the help we give is also the help they can use on the spot right now. At this stage, we have therefore decided to offer on-the-spot support to the Afghan Red Crescent through the Turkish Red Crescent.

This initial support is done with resources from our own emergency relief fund. These are funds that we can quickly release in the first days after a disaster. In addition, we opened a public fundraising campaign via the account number BE53 0000 0000 5353 with the mention'earthquake Afghanistan'.

The deployment of additional financial support is always considered in consultation with our Red Cross partners on the ground. Should there be a demand to support with other modalities (e.g., through goods or sending people on the ground), we look at how we can accommodate this or not.  

There are several ways people can help. By making a donation to the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders via the account number BE53 0000 0000 5353 stating'earthquake Afghanistan' you are supporting the Afghan Red Crescent's relief efforts.

However, we strongly advise against collecting goods yourself or leaving for the affected regions. 

On the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders website, you can follow updates on relief efforts in the region and other international disasters. You can also use the social media channels(Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) to keep up with the latest news and the impact of your donation. 

We understand that you want to go and help yourself or set up fundraisers for goods. It is a human and warm response of solidarity. But such individual initiatives are not obvious and require good preparation and coordination with local contacts. We at Belgian Red Cross-Flanders prefer a structured, coordinated approach, also with volunteers. 

The local Red Cross is also currently very actively deploying its volunteer network to help the affected population. They obviously know the local context best and can thus work efficiently and effectively. One should also be aware that this region is still an active disaster area. Missing persons are still being searched, evacuations are underway, conditions remain uncertain, and many areas are inaccessible or do not have access to water, or food. Additional people on the ground in these circumstances puts additional pressure on reserves as well as people whose safety must be ensured. 

Therefore, if people want to go help or collect goods, we recommend that they  

• Be aware of the local (security) situation and always put their own safety first 

• Always ensuring that they have a local contact they can turn to 

• In coordination with local contact, collect goods where there is local demand to avoid not being able to use them