Donations have continued to flood into charities as people in the UK step up their efforts to help Afghan nationals arriving in the country after fleeing the Taliban.

Charities and organisations had made calls for support to help refugees with essential needs such as clothing and baby equipment along with finding them new places to settle in the UK.

Donations in one Hertfordshire community “went crazy” after an appeal for basic supplies to help people arriving from Kabul.

In Manchester, Care4Calais, a charity working with refugees in the UK, France and Belgium, reported how a group of volunteers were helping with a wave of donations for Afghans being housed in the area.

In footage posted on Twitter, the charity revealed how it was sorting through numerous boxes and bags of clothes which had been donated by the public.

On its website, the volunteer-run charity admitted that “to help traumatised Afghan people remake their lives will be a long job, and this is just the beginning”.

It also has a map which shows drop-off points for donations across the UK, allowing the public to pinpoint the nearest and most convenient places to take vital supplies.

Meanwhile, a synagogue in Hertfordshire has been flooded with supplies for Afghan families arriving in the area after an appeal was met with “a tremendous act of love” from the local community.

Rabbi Elchonon Feldman, of the Bushey United Synagogue, sent a message to worshippers on a private Facebook page which saw donations pack out the venue’s car park by Sunday afternoon.

He had been contacted by Laurence Brass, the councillor for Bushey North, who said that some Afghan families had been placed in the local area and needed items including warm clothing, toiletries, toys and basic school supplies.

Rabbi Feldman said: “My response was, ‘I am absolutely sure we can help although I am not sure we can look after all of their requirements, but we can certainly try.

“It went crazy. By the time Sunday arrived we had around 3,000 bags (of items) that had been brought to help out.”

He added: “It has been a tremendous act of love and completely run by volunteers who all just wanted to help. They are not just Jewish. The message ended up going far and wide and everyone just wanted to make a difference.”

Volunteers are now working through the donations to see where best to place the items for the Afghan families – and anything left over will go to other charities, the rabbi said.

Other organisations, including Save the Children, UNICEF and British Red Cross, have also made emergency appeals to help refugees and to support people still in Afghanistan.

How you can donate – and the support needed by the Afghans

Care4Calais said it receives calls from refugees who do not have any clean clothes or proper footwear.

Money can be donated to the charity – or people can supply clothes and other essentials through one of the many drop-off points across the UK. Click here to visit their website for details.

Save the Children has an emergency fund to help it respond to the Afghanistan crisis, which the public can support through their website.

UNICEF said it needs the public’s help to reach “every child in danger” in Afghanistan – with people being urged to donate money for essential needs such as water and a hygiene kit. Click here for more details.

The British Red Cross is asking for money to help them supply food, medical care and water to people in Afghanistan, pointing out the country is also trying to cope with increasing levels of COVID-19. Visit their website to help.

Afghanaid said families need “urgent humanitarian assistance” and has asked for people to donate what money they can to help them provide support through food parcels and making shelter available.

Click here to visit the Afghanaid website to make a donation.

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