KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union (EU) has allocated an additional €13 million to provide for malnutrition treatment and community-based education in Afghanistan, which is expected to benefit tens of thousands of boys and girls.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced in a statement on Sunday, August 25, that the agency will acquire 62,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and train 1,600 health workers to address severe acute malnutrition in children under five.
UNICEF will also enhance learning quality in 275 community-based education classes, allowing 9,500 children—61% of whom are girls—to access primary education. This effort will include teacher training, school management committee support, and the provision of school supplies.
“Malnutrition rates in Afghanistan, especially among children, demonstrate that the country is in a state of emergency,” said François Goemans, Head of EU humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.
“The EU will continue collaborating with humanitarian partners like UNICEF to provide critical support, including nutrition and education in emergencies. Even in the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, children have the right to a quality education that can help them build a better future.”
This two-year initiative will target approximately 69,000 children under five for malnutrition treatment across 27 provinces in Afghanistan, UNICEF said.
It will also help nearly 9,500 children and adolescents in four provinces continue their education through community-based learning, fostering foundational skills and positive psychological development. The project will deliver emergency teaching and learning supplies to children in need across all 34 provinces.
“We value our continued partnership with EU humanitarian aid, which will enable us to supply RUTF to nutrition treatment facilities where children are in critical need and train frontline health workers to administer this treatment,” said Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan.
“This funding will also help children continue attending community-based education classes and provide essential materials for students and educators.”
According to the UN, 23.7 million people in Afghanistan, including over half being children, require humanitarian assistance.
In 2024, nearly 2.9 million children are projected to face acute malnutrition, with more than 850,000 needing treatment for severe acute malnutrition—a life-threatening condition.
