Pushing Forward Despite Afghanistan’s Government Transition

Since the transition of Afghanistan's government in August 2021, the country has endured economic uncertainty that threatens to collapse an already teetering healthcare system. More than 25,000 government healthcare workers lost their jobs overnight, and 2,300 healthcare facilities shut down. Other Afghan healthcare providers working for NGOs and other aid agencies faced a similar problem – unemployment in the face of a healthcare crisis. The negative consequences of the transition were then and continue to be exacerbated by ongoing global uncertainty about how to support humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan. Western nations froze $9.5 billion in Afghan assets, and many foreign banks were reluctant to act as intermediaries for transferring funds into Afghanistan.

Be Team International's board of directors and hospital leadership team quickly worked to stay ahead of this problem and were, thereby, able to avoid major disruption of our programs. The Afghan team on the ground pulled together to minimize expenditures while we worked with the Afghan International Bank (AIB) and others to provide the funds needed to support our work. Our goal was to access needed cash to support the day-to-day operations. The executive team in the U.S. also reached out to partners.

On November 5, we met with Congressman Rob Wittman of the 1st Virginia District and Vice Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Committee to explain the banking challenges threatening to cut off funds to our hospital. The Congressman listened and immediately acted by sending a letter to relevant individuals at the State Department. Two weeks later, we received a phone call from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury. (OFAC) They assured us of the legality of Be Team's humanitarian work, that it did not fall within sanctioned activities, and directed us to official licenses published by OFAC, which we used to break through the banking impasse.

As a result of these efforts, Be Team has been able to pay all of its 300 plus staff on time over the past seven months and purchase necessary medical supplies. More challenges await us, but we have hope and confidence for the future with such a resourceful team in Kabul and you, our committed donors.