On World Food Safety, the World Food Program of the United Nations estimated that more than 15 million Afghans are expected to be experiencing “acute food insecurity” across Afghanistan that also includes “2.8 million people" at ‘emergency’ levels of hunger.
“WFP and its partners were able to support 23 million people with record levels of food and nutrition support in 2022. In the past 18 months our assistance has been able to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan,” said Philippe Kropf, head of communications. “This year, from January to the end of April, we have been able to reach 15 million people across all our programme activities.”
TOLOnews interviewed some vulnerable residents of the capital Kabul, who expressed frustration over economic hardships, poverty and lack of access to sufficient food.
Mahjabin, 25, supports a family of 7 members. Mahjabin said that she is working as a maid.
“There have been times that we eat dinner and were worried about what to eat tomorrow. Sometimes I have to spare the food from morning to noon for the children,” she said.
“There have been times that I ate dinner and had no money left to purchase anything for the morning. We had nothing. I am jobless,” said Fazal, a vulnerable man.
Meanwhile, Kropf said that the WFP is facing an already acute funding crisis and it was forced to cut 8 million highly vulnerable people from the emergency programme activities across the country.
“Such cutbacks in humanitarian food assistance will have a devastating impact on women, young children and the elderly in particular,” he said. “The World Food Programme in Afghanistan needs US$918 million to cover operations for the coming six months.”
The Ministry of Economy (MoE) said that humanitarian assistance is important for economic rotation in the country.
“When the international community pays attention to the development programs in the sectors that create job opportunities, it will have further benefits for improvement of the economic condition of our countrymen,” said Abdul Rahman Habib, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance signed a contract of $8.1 million with the Islamic Development Bank to address food security, drinking water and other health issues.
(Please note: An earlier draft of this story incorrectly said the Asian Development Bank had contributed funds to the Ministry of Finance, rather than the Islamic Development Bank.)
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