As of September, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that 10 million Afghans have lost assistance this year. Due to a significant funding shortfall, the WFP had to cut food assistance from 2 million people in Afghanistan this month. Consequently, the organization will only be able to provide emergency assistance to 3 million people per month going forward. Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP’s Country Director and Representative in Afghanistan, expressed concern about the situation, stating that they are now forced to choose between the hungry and the starving, leaving millions of families struggling to find their next meal. The World Food Programme plays a crucial role in supporting women, who are increasingly marginalized in Afghan society. The organization provides essential resources for women to make a living and feed their children, but with limited resources, they are unable to serve all those on the brink of destitution.
The effects of the cuts are particularly devastating for new and expecting mothers and their children. As a result, 1.4 million of them are no longer receiving specialized food designed to prevent malnutrition. To continue their lifesaving efforts, the WFP urgently needs $1 billion within the next six months to feed 21 million people. However, time is running out, and immediate action is required to avert a catastrophe in Afghanistan. The most vulnerable women and children, who have already been impacted by 40 years of conflict, a crippled economy, and a worsening climate crisis, will bear the consequences of inaction.
The situation in Afghanistan has been compounded by the Taliban takeover in August 2022. As a result, an estimated 36 million people, roughly 90% of the population, lack sufficient food. The US and other countries froze around $7 billion of the country’s foreign reserves, exacerbating the food crisis further. These challenging circumstances highlight the critical need for international support to ensure that the Afghan people receive the food assistance they desperately require.