Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has signed a $368,870 agreement with the Afghan Youth Services Organization (AYSO) to reduce the prevalence of stunting and other forms of malnutrition in central Logar province.Under the agreement, healthcare services will be provided to 11,916 residents through 13 health centres and 50 health posts. The project will also create 108 jobs in the health sector.(20260803)

Background:
The Afghan Youth Services Organization (AYSO) is a long-established Afghan non-governmental organization that has evolved from a youth-focused NGO into a large, multi-sector humanitarian and development organization working across Afghanistan.

Overview

• Name: Afghan Youth Services Organization (AYSO)
• Established: 8 February 2006
• Registration: Ministry of Economy of Afghanistan, NGO Registration No. 397
• Headquarters: Share Naw, District 4, Kabul
• Legal status: National Afghan non-profit, non-political NGO.

Mission

AYSO describes its mission as supporting vulnerable Afghan communities through humanitarian assistance and long-term development.

Its current thematic sectors include:

• Primary Health Care
• Nutrition
• Food Security & Agriculture
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
• Education
• Child Protection
• Gender and GBV prevention
• Youth development
• Livelihoods
• Vocational training
• Community infrastructure
• Emergency response
• Social and Behaviour Change (SBC).

Geographic coverage

AYSO states that it now works in all 34 Afghan provinces, including remote and conflict-affected districts.

According to its published figures it reports:

• over 17 million beneficiaries
• approximately 500,000 community volunteers mobilized
• more than 12,500 people trained
• support for 50 women-led NGOs and civil society organizations.

These figures are self-reported by the organization and are not independently audited in the public domain.

Main donors and implementing partners

Public procurement notices and organizational documents indicate that AYSO has implemented projects funded or supported by numerous organizations, including:

UN agencies

• UNDP
• UNICEF
• WFP
• WHO
• UNOCHA

USAID-related implementing partners (before 2021)

• Action Against Hunger (AAH)
• FHI360

Other NGOs

• BRAC
• HEWAD
• AADA

It has also worked with Afghan government ministries and provincial departments.

Activities before and after 2021

Before the Taliban takeover

AYSO implemented:

• education projects
• health programmes
• gender programmes
• community development
• research and surveys
• human-rights awareness
• peacebuilding initiatives

using international donor funding.

Since August 2021

Like many Afghan NGOs, AYSO shifted much of its work toward:

• humanitarian relief
• primary healthcare
• nutrition
• maternal and child health
• emergency response
• food security

This reflects the priorities of UN humanitarian funding after the collapse of the previous Afghan government.

Governance

AYSO presents itself as:

• independent,
• non-political,
• non-profit,
• community-based.

Its website emphasizes accountability, professionalism and partnerships with international humanitarian organizations. However, detailed governance information—such as the composition of its board, executive leadership biographies, or publicly available audited annual reports—is limited on its website.

Financial transparency

Open-source information indicates:

Positive indicators

• operating since 2006;
• repeatedly awarded projects by major international donors;
• procurement notices and audit tenders published through the Afghanistan NGOs Coordination Bureau (ACBAR), suggesting donor financial oversight.

Limitations

No publicly available:

• complete annual audited financial statements,
• IRS-style donor disclosures,
• detailed executive compensation,
• comprehensive annual financial reports.

This is not unusual for Afghan national NGOs but makes independent financial assessment more difficult.

Reputation

AYSO appears to have maintained a generally positive operational reputation among humanitarian actors:

• no publicly documented sanctions;
• no major corruption cases reported in reliable international media;
• no significant public litigation;
• continued visibility within humanitarian coordination mechanisms through ACBAR procurement and audit notices.

That said, the absence of public allegations does not by itself establish the effectiveness or integrity of every project.

Due-diligence assessment

Overall assessment

AYSO appears to be one of the more established Afghan national NGOs, with nearly two decades of operations and a history of implementing donor-funded programmes for UN agencies and international NGOs. Its longevity, broad geographic reach, and recurring role as an implementing partner are positive indicators. However, as with many national NGOs operating in Afghanistan, public governance and financial disclosures are relatively limited, so institutional donors would typically seek additional documentation—such as recent audited financial statements, board information, and donor references—before providing substantial funding.