The World Food Program (WFP) has dismissed dozens of female health workers in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province due to funding shortages, according to sources within the organization.
Employees told KabulNow that WFP has terminated the contracts of its nutrition staff in the province, leaving 41 female health workers unemployed. One staff member said all workers in the nutrition program had been laid off after being told there was no longer sufficient funding.
The dismissals come at a time when malnutrition among children and mothers is on the rise, raising serious concerns about the impact of reduced humanitarian assistance on vulnerable communities.
United Nations-affiliated aid agencies have repeatedly warned this year that cuts in international funding are undermining their ability to deliver life-saving assistance across Afghanistan.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published by the United Nations, an estimated 17.4 million people are expected to face severe food insecurity during the coming winter.
The World Food Program has warned that food insecurity and malnutrition in Afghanistan are worsening at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in Afghanistan has risen to 3.7 million. UNICEF has stated that it aims to provide treatment services to 1.3 million children affected by severe wasting and high-risk moderate malnutrition, but is struggling with a critical lack of funding.
