Afghanistan is experiencing a severe hunger crisis affecting 14 million people, including infants surviving on minimal sustenance such as weak tea and bread. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), only one in nine of those acutely hungry currently receives food assistance due to crippling funding cuts.
Child malnutrition has reached record levels in 12 provinces, with children under two years old being the most affected. The WFP reports that conflict, widespread unemployment, soaring food prices, shrinking humanitarian funding, and disruptions to supply routes are driving the worsening situation.
The WFP Country Director for Afghanistan highlighted the plight of Farida, a mother whose two children suffer from anaemia and whose six-year-old son has been too weak to attend school for months due to acute malnutrition. "When we spoke to Farida, her baby started crying from hunger," the director said.
In a new alert issued on Tuesday, the WFP stated that one in three Afghans is now facing acute food insecurity and that the agency lacks sufficient resources to contain the crisis. To prevent further deterioration, especially with winter approaching—a critical period for hunger—the WFP urgently needs $500 million to address acute food needs nationwide.
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