The World Food Program (WFP) provided food and cash assistance to more than 5.6 million people in Afghanistan in July. The assistance included 35,000 tons of food and $9 million in cash.
WFP spokesperson in Afghanistan, Wahidullah Amani, told TOLOnews that the assistance was distributed to people across the country last month.
“WFP in Afghanistan this July was able to provide food aid to more than 5.6 million people across Afghanistan,” Amani said. “Among these, 3.8 million people were those who benefited from emergency humanitarian aid.”
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the humanitarian situation has worsened in the country, with over two-thirds of the population, approximately 29.2 million people, now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are at an all-time high due to conflict, drought, and acute poverty.
The organization said that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan has been largely impacted due to funding shortfall, leaving vulnerable families without urgent assistance including food.
OCHA’s multi-sectoral humanitarian response requires $3.23 billion for this year, but it has only received $744 million, which is 23% of the total.
The organization has called on the international community and humanitarian partners to join forces and mobilize the necessary funding to alleviate the suffering of millions of vulnerable people.