The lives of 1.1 million children in the country are in danger due to hunger. David Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations (UN) World Food Program (WFP), told DW that Afghanistan has become one of the poorest countries in the world in the last 20 years of conflict with the Taliban, and that He stated that this poverty increased even more after the Taliban came to power.
Describing the current situation in the first winter season under the Taliban rule as “catastrophic”, Beasley stated that 23 million people in the country with a population of 40 million are at risk of starvation.
Children are sold out of desperation
Stating that due to the gravity of the situation, many families had to choose between heating or eating if the financial situation made it possible, David Beasley said that a mother he talked to during his visit to Afghanistan said that he sold his child to buy food for his family.
Emphasizing that the Taliban gave WFP permission to work in Afghanistan, Beasley said that the problem is not reaching people in need, but financing these projects. The WFP Executive Director appealed to the world’s richest people who have made their fortunes during the coronavirus pandemic, asking them to contribute to solving this hunger crisis.
Another call from UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also called for more humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Christian Schneider, the Germany Director of UNICEF, who is in Afghanistan as part of various aid projects, said in a statement, “If humanitarian aid is not greatly increased, many children in Afghanistan will not survive this winter.”
“Every family we interviewed tells us that they don’t have enough to eat. Usually there is nothing more than sweet tea with bread,” said Schneider, adding that problems such as extreme food shortages, harsh winter conditions and difficulty in accessing clean water create a deadly cycle for children.
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last August, the humanitarian situation in the country has worsened. According to UNICEF data, 1.1 million Afghan children face severe and life-threatening food shortages. The organization reports that the number of children who need humanitarian aid is 13 million.
epd / ET,HT
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