Thousands of Afghan refugees and host community families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have received much needed health and education support under a major humanitarian project Handicap International being implemented in six districts of the province.
The project is helping vulnerable families with medical care mental health support disability services and education facilities close to their homes.
The project is being implemented by Handicap International (Humanity and Inclusion) with support from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) under the title Integrated Humanitarian Response to Address Immediate Health and Education Needs of Afghan Refugees and Host Communities in KP Pakistan.
The project covered ex refugee villages in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Buner and Chitral from January 2025 to March 2026.
Under the primary health component the project reached 73,385 beneficiaries including Afghan refugees host communities and persons with disabilities. Free medical checkups laboratory services and quality medicines were provided while patients needing advanced care were referred to higher facilities.
Nutrition screening was carried out for 13,530 pregnant and lactating women and children aged 6 to 59 months. Women and children suffering from severe and moderate acute malnutrition were properly guided and referred to treatment centers.
The project also organized 92 nutritious cooking demonstrations where 1,962 women participated and learned healthy cooking practices. In addition 661 clean delivery kits were distributed among pregnant women in the third trimester to support safe deliveries.
Awareness sessions on health hygiene and nutrition reached 18,495 participants and helped improve knowledge in vulnerable communities. Medicine provision achieved its full target while training on ICCM showed very strong progress.
Under Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, integrated services reached 854 individuals. Psychiatric referrals also showed progress though group awareness sessions and capacity building activities still need more attention in the coming period.
The Assistive Devices and Physiotherapy component performed strongly and achieved 538 people with disabilities. Disability assessments and referrals exceeded planned targets. Handicap International facilitates 140 individuals with assistive technology, rehabilitation referrals and caregiver training.
Psychiatric referrals also showed progress though group awareness sessions and capacity building activities still need more attention
In a small community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a young girl who had never stepped into a classroom now sits among her peers, learning to read and write for the first time. Her story is not unique…it reflects a much larger challenge Pakistan continues to face: millions of children remain out of school, not because they lack ability, but because the system has yet to fully include them.
Pakistan is home to one of the largest populations of out-of-school children globally. Estimates suggest that over 26 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 are not attending school. The situation is even more severe for girls and children with disabilities, who face layered barriers ranging from poverty and displacement to deeply rooted social norms. Globally, children with disabilities are among the most excluded, and in Pakistan, they are nearly 49 percent more likely to have never attended school than their peers.
Yet the issue is not simply about access. It is about inclusion.
Inclusive education goes beyond placing children in classrooms; it requires systems that respond to diverse learning needs — physical, social, and emotional. Humanity & Inclusion (HI), with over two decades of experience in education across 24 countries, has consistently advocated for a model that addresses these multiple dimensions.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, HI, with the support of the European Union’s humanitarian aid (ECHO), is implementing an integrated response that targets Afghan refugees and vulnerable host communities. This initiative is not limited to enrolling children…it works at the community level to identify out-of-school children, engage families, and address the barriers that prevent them from learning.
One of the most effective components of this approach is the establishment of Non-Formal Education Centres (NFECs). These centres provide accelerated learning pathways for children who have missed years of schooling, enabling them to transition into the formal system. But learning here is not limited to textbooks. It is interactive, participatory, and designed to rebuild confidence among children who have often experienced disruption and trauma.
This is where a broader, multi-sectoral approach becomes critical.
Children affected by displacement or poverty often carry invisible burdens — stress, anxiety, and uncertainty…that directly affect their ability to learn. Recognising this, HI integrates Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) into its education programmes, ensuring that classrooms become safe spaces where children can recover, express themselves, and regain a sense of normalcy.
At the same time, child protection mechanisms are embedded within the programme. When risks such as neglect or violence are identified, cases are referred to specialised services, ensuring that education interventions are supported by a wider protection system.
HI’s approach also reflects a “twin-track” model — addressing the immediate needs of children through direct support, such as assistive devices and referrals, while simultaneously strengthening the education system itself through teacher training, inclusive learning materials, and improved school environments.
Importantly, partnerships remain central to sustainability. Recent collaboration with institutions such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA-AQAL) and the Elementary & Secondary Education Foundation (ESEF) signals a growing commitment to strengthening alternative learning pathways at the provincial level.
However, meaningful change requires more than isolated interventions. It calls for sustained investment, policy alignment, and a shift in how education is perceived, particularly for girls and children with disabilities. Communities must be engaged not as beneficiaries, but as partners in change.
Education, in this context, is more than a service. It is protection, dignity, and opportunity.
For children on the margins, it represents the difference between exclusion and participation, between vulnerability and resilience. Pakistan has the frameworks and commitments in place. What remains is the collective will to translate them into inclusive realities — where every child, regardless of circumstance, is given not just a seat in the classroom, but a genuine chance to learn and thrive.
The writer is Country Meal Manager (Pakistan), Handicap International