KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union has allocated €12 million to provide emergency health, nutrition, protection and water and sanitation services to more than 347,000 people in crisis-affected communities across southern and southwestern Afghanistan, the humanitarian organization INTERSOS said.
The project, funded through the EU’s humanitarian aid department, will be implemented by INTERSOS in partnership with Solidarités International and Médecins du Monde over 12 months, from June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2027, INTERSOS said in a statement.
It will operate in 28 locations across six provinces: Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, Farah and Nimroz, according to INTERSOS statement.
The initiative is expected to benefit nearly 1.27 million people indirectly. A further 39,175 people could receive emergency assistance in response to disease outbreaks, climate-related shocks and displacement, the organization said.
The contribution comes as 21.9 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Vulnerable groups, including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with disabilities and families in remote areas, continue to face barriers to essential services.
The World Food Programme has warned that child malnutrition has reached critical levels in several provinces, with funding shortages limiting food assistance. John Aylieff, WFP’s country director for Afghanistan, said children were already dying as a result of cuts to aid.
United Nations agencies estimate that about 19.2 million people, or 38% of the population, will face high levels of acute food insecurity between November 2026 and April 2027, including the winter months when shortages and harsh weather intensify needs.
Humanitarian agencies face a significant funding gap. The UN has appealed for $1.71 billion to meet urgent needs this year, but only around 30% has been secured so far, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The EU has remained one of Afghanistan’s major donors since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, focusing support on humanitarian needs and longer-term priorities such as women’s economic empowerment, small-business support, alternative livelihoods and efforts to reduce reliance on poppy cultivation.
