KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Sweden has contributed $2.2 million to support critical nutrition efforts for mothers and children in Afghanistan, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced Monday.
The funding, provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), will enable WFP to deliver specialized food assistance to 125,000 mothers and children for three months.
Afghanistan is facing its sharpest rise in malnutrition ever recorded, according to the UN food agency. An estimated 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are already malnourished, while 3.5 million children are expected to suffer from it this year.
“WFP is often the last lifeline for women and girls in Afghanistan,” the agency said, noting that two-thirds of female-headed households cannot afford basic nutrition—nearly 20% higher than male-headed families.
In 2024, WFP reached nearly 12 million people in Afghanistan. More than half were women and girls. Last year, the agency supported 2.3 million mothers and young children with nutritious food.
WFP described Sweden as a long-standing partner, contributing over $30 million to its Afghanistan operations between 2021 and 2024. Sweden is now among the agency’s top ten donors in the country.
Malnutrition has long plagued the country but has worsened dramatically since the Taliban returned to power. Drought, natural disasters, displacement, joblessness, and food insecurity have all deepened the crisis.
Meanwhile, international funding has dropped sharply. The UN has received less than half of the aid it requested for Afghanistan over the past two years, forcing many humanitarian agencies to scale down or halt their operations.
