KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Food Program (WFP) reports that three million children in Afghanistan are malnourished, highlighting that it can only support one in every three of them.
In a social media post on Friday, May 10, the UN food agency said that children bear the brunt of the aid reduction, underscoring the essential need for sustained funding to aid those in dire need in Afghanistan.
After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated significantly, making it one of the world’s most critical crises. According to the UN, now more than two-third of the population require urgent humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan has been grappling with incessant heavy rains and flooding in recent months, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of people across the country. The natural disaster has also claimed the lives of thousands of livestock and caused significant financial losses for the already impoverished population.
Women and children face even broader challenges due to the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s education, employment, and mobility.
Earlier, UNICEF reported that in 2024, over 12 million children in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance. The UN agency said that it had screened nearly 1 million children for malnutrition, with 39,246 of them admitted for treatment.
On the other hand, humanitarian agencies have been struggling with a funding shortfall for the past few years, as global attention is mainly focused on ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The UN says that this severe funding shortfall is one of the worst in recent years, significantly hindering the organization’s capacity to deliver aid to the most vulnerable individuals.
Last year, WFP had to cut assistance to 8 million food insecure people across Afghanistan due to a funding shortfall. “Additionally, 1.4 million new and expecting mothers, toddlers and preschoolers are no longer receiving foods designed to prevent malnutrition,” WFP said.
UNICEF says its Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal for 2024, which requires an overall budget of $1.4 billion, is currently 35% funded. However, the UN agency emphasizes its commitment to partnering with donors to ensure sufficient resources are mobilized to address the needs of children and communities in Afghanistan.
The humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan led by the U.N. this year seeks to raise $3.07 billion to assist 17.3 million people. Yet, as of March, only 7% of the necessary funding has been secured.
