Afghan General Help Coordination Office
AGHCO (Afghan General Help Coordination Office) is a national reputed Non-Profit and Non-Government Organization, which was previously known as Afghan German Help Coordination office as it was initially founded and established in 1991 and since then the NGO has been active. In 1991 AGHCO was established to assist and secure the emergency, relief, rehabilitation operations and development activities in Afghanistan. This was done through direct cooperation and coordination with the government, UN Agencies, international organizations and local communities. In 2005 AGHCO was re-registered as an Afghan NGO with the Ministry of Economy.
Background of AGHCO
AGHCO is dedicated to delivering a wide range of services aimed towards enhancing human well-being and promoting social welfare. Our organization persistently work towards sustainable development and bringing about positive change across the country. Through our structured approach, diverse activities, and well-defined policies, AGHCO remains unwaveringly committed to its mission, ensuring that our efforts align with and contribute to the achievement of broader societal goals.
We play a pivotal role in extending policy initiatives to underserved and remote areas, thereby improving the reach and effectiveness of social welfare programs. As outlined in the section above, NGOs like AGHCO are instrumental in advancing social well-being, whether through the direct implementation of development projects or through proactive policy advocacy.
Afghan refugees and internally displaced into their communities.
To empower and promote the active participation of vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society in achieving self-reliance and sustainable development through service delivery, capacity building, and research.
A healthy and socio-economically empowered Afghanistan, thriving with hope and equal opportunities for all.
To enhance the quality of life for the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable, while upholding human dignity and fostering social and economic development.
- Respect for human dignity
- Integrity and reliability in all operations
- Commitment
- Social Justice
- Equality and Equity
- Gender Mainstreaming
- Wholeness and Inclusiveness
- Transparency and accountability
Our history
Afghan General Help Coordination Office (AGHCO) is an Afghanistan-based Non-Governmental Organization with its main office in Kabul City, Kabul, Afghanistan. AGHCO began as a Community-Based Organization in 1991 and was officially registered as an NGO with the Ministry of Economy, Afghanistan.
AGHCO is committed to fostering sustainable community development, focusing on improving health, social services, entrepreneurship, disaster relief, and advocacy. The organization’s principal mandate is to design, implement, and evaluate multi-component, evidence-based health, environmental, and human rights research and intervention projects that enhance the health and socio-economic status of individuals and target communities. AGHCO is a grassroots NGO, with its activities centered on and derived from the community and individual levels.
Initially, AGHCO was established with the primary aim of providing assistance and basic services in health and rehabilitation to Afghan refugees in camps and villages across the border in Pakistan. To achieve its aims, AGHCO established a hospital in Danish Abad, Peshawar, and various clinics in rural areas. These projects were implemented under AGHCO’s direct supervision. However, in 1993, due to the changing situation in Afghanistan, AGHCO shifted its objectives and began focusing primarily on serving communities within Afghanistan. Consequently, hospitals and clinics were constructed in provinces such as Paktia, Paktika, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Kandahar, and Jalalabad, among others.
Health-related projects were implemented in collaboration with MSF and AMI. However, due to policy changes within these organizations, the projects were later handed over to the government. At that time, AGHCO was the only local NGO managing and maintaining Jalalabad Hospital, which also served as a training institute. Unfortunately, due to a shortage of funds, AGHCO eventually handed over this hospital to the host government in 1996. Subsequently, AGHCO began constructing clinics in Khost and Gardez.
With the growing demand for integrated projects addressing basic needs such as drinking water, food security, livelihood, and agricultural irrigation, AGHCO shifted its focus to providing potable water to returnee camps and irrigation water to fertile lands in rural areas, recognizing Afghanistan’s agricultural roots. Over the last 16 years, AGHCO has been actively engaged in agriculture, water sanitation, and water supply projects in Kabul, Laghman, Jalalabad, Kunar, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Nooristan, and Kandahar, in partnership with UNICEF. Believing in the importance of irrigation, AGHCO has also implemented various irrigation, agricultural, and nursery projects in Laghman, Kandahar, and Jalalabad with the support of WFP and FAO.
In agriculture, AGHCO’s primary goal is to implement self-sufficient facilities where local farmers can manage and sustain their growth without external support. This has been achieved by introducing cash crops as alternatives to traditional farming. AGHCO has also utilized its agricultural projects, in coordination with SC UK and WFP, to protect children’s rights by providing street children with basic education and agricultural training, helping them secure viable jobs in the agricultural sector in the future.
Between 2004 and 2006, AGHCO, with support from Save the Children UK, implemented a project to provide accommodation, basic education, and vocational training to street children in labor-related jobs, enabling them to target potential employment opportunities for the future. As part of this project, AGHCO rented two resource centers in Kabul, accommodating around 400 boys and girls. For children unable to reach the resource centers, AGHCO provided outreach classes, workshops, and kiosks to sell their goods. Forty girls were trained in tailoring, awarded certificates, and given a sewing machine, enabling them to financially support their families. Additionally, around 40 boys were trained in tailoring, ironsmithing, shoemaking, mechanics, car bodywork, carpentry, and bicycle mechanics. These boys were equipped with vocational tools, allowing them to continue supporting their families long after their training. Furthermore, AGHCO provided basic education to over 400 children, who were admitted to formal schools from 1st to 4th grade, ensuring they could make wise use of their time.
AGHCO has extensive experience in promoting Afghan community development and has successfully implemented a Civic Education for Constitution-Making Process project in various districts of Kunar, Nooristan, Khost, and Paktika provinces. As part of this project, AGHCO trained four community-elected representatives from each district, empowering them to educate their communities about the constitution, with funding from ACSF.
As capacity-building is a central aim of AGHCO, the organization was fortunate to partner with International Medical Corps (IMC) to implement a project in Paktika province. AGHCO carried out program activities, including managing 7 BHCs, 1 CHC, and a district hospital in Urgun, Omna, Nika, and Gayan districts, in collaboration with IMC.
As mentioned earlier, AGHCO has considerable experience in delivering primary health care services. This expertise led to AGHCO being chosen as a partner with Ibn Sina International to implement the Community Midwifery Education (CME) project in Paktia province. Over nearly 25 years, AGHCO has worked across Afghanistan, implementing more than 180 projects. Of these, over 50 projects were directly related to returnees and IDPs, providing emergency response, shelter, and reintegration support into their communities. For projects involving returnees and IDPs, AGHCO received significant support from the German government and UNHCR, along with key contributions from UNICEF and WFP. For more details, please refer to the list of projects implemented by AGHCO over the last 25 years.
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