Caritas Italiana had been aware of the situation in Afghanistan long before the events of September 2001. After the programme to assist Afghani refugees who had taken refuge in Pakistan during the 1980s and 1990s, Caritas Italiana, during the Taliban regime, was engaged in the re-establishment of two secondary schools, each with between five and six thousand students.

From the beginning of 2002 until May 2003, Caritas Italiana was present in the country through the Caritas International network, taking part in a programme of emergency help, rehabilitation and development with a contribution of 1,800,000 euros. Caritas Italiana financing enabled the building of four schools in the Ghor Valley, and the return of 483 refugee families to the Panshir Valley, with the construction of 100 traditional dwellings for the poorest families, assistance for the disabled, etc.

Within the country itself, the Caritas network worked alongside various Afghan NGOs, and was able to use more than a thousand local workers.

Between June 2004 and December 2007, two workers from Caritas Italiana took turns to be in the country, with the object of coordinating and facilitating activities on the spot. At the present time, Caritas Italiana is concentrating its attention on the most vulnerable minors, by giving support to the following programmes:

• Pro Bambini Kabul: in May 2006, Caritas      Italiana and the Inter-Congregational Association Pro Bambini di Kabul,      composed of 14 different religious Orders, opened in Kabul an educational      centre for children with mental disabilities; it is attended by about 35      local children. This project, besides the good of the children themselves, has the object of establishing a lasting presence in the country which,      beginning with the disabled, will be able to work for the needs of all      children.
• A school programme for the deaf and dumb:      since 2010, Caritas Italiana has supported a school for deaf and dumb      children run by a local organisation named Anad. At the present      time the school has 352 students, divided into classes according to age.      The aim is to give them the ability to communicate through sign-language      and through other means.