Afghanistan is grappling with significant challenges, including pervasive poverty and high unemployment. The increasing number of youth working on the streets and seeking dangerous routes to flee the country are highly vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. In response, Action for Development was awarded a grant to conduct a learning assessment aimed at countering trafficking in persons while improving youth engagement and wellbeing in Takhar, Baghlan, and Parwan Provinces. However, in January 2025, the new U.S. administration issued an Executive Order and subsequent stop work order on USAID-funded initiatives, bringing the project to an abrupt halt.

One Day’s Wages provided stopgap funding for Action for Development to pick up the project where it left off: allowing the organization to analyze the data they collected from youth and stakeholders and synthesize recommendations for future anti-trafficking initiatives in Afghanistan. Of the 164 people interviewed, 47% knew someone who had been trafficked, and 30% could identify at least one person at risk of being trafficked. The assessment report included detailed recommendations that will ultimately bring greater awareness among Afghan youth about the dangers of migration, trafficking in persons, and gender-based violence.