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Afghanistan, UNICEF warns 10 million children are in need

Afghan boy Afghan boy Photo by Gabriel-m on iStock

25 August 2021

Aid agencies warn millions are at risk and in desperate need of humanitarian assistance

According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund  (UNICEF), approximately 1 million children under the age of 5 will be severely malnourished by the end of 2021. On top of years of conflict, Afghanistan’s food security has also been threatened, in fact half of the population - more than 18 million people, including around 10 million children - already survive on humanitarian assistance

 Millions of Afghans now face the risk of starvation and a “catastrophe on top of a catastrophe”, according to the the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme. He warned that the UN agency needs $200 million by the end of the year to continue its operations in Afghanistan.

The UNICEF Afghanistan Representative, Hervé Ludovic De Lys said: “We hope that with the new leadership in Afghanistan, we can reach the children that were missed earlier with life-saving health services and education, especially girls.”

Since the end of May, and following the Taliban’s takeover, the number of people internally displaced (IDP) because of conflict and in need of humanitarian aid doubled, reaching 550,000, according to UNICEF.

 

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/24/wfp-food-aid-afghanistan-starvation-taliban

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/23/afghanistan-talibanchaos-and-violence-as-crowds-keep-growing-outside-kabul-airport

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/24/wfp-food-aid-afghanistan-starvation-taliban

https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/delivering-support-afghanistans-children

 

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