Thousands of homes have been destroyed or severely damaged, leaving families without shelter and in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as winter approaches. Indrika Ratwatte, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday that even reaching the disaster was a “huge challenge.”UN Women Afghanistan Special Representative Susan Ferguson stressed the need for Afghan women humanitarians to be part of the response. “It’s exhausting work – and it’s impossible for them to reach everyone who needs help,” Ferguson explained. “In a context like Afghanistan, it is essential that women are delivering assistance to women and girls,” Ferguson said. Featured image: Families in northeastern Afghanistan struggling to survive last Sunday’s earthquake have appealed for help to find and bury the dead.