UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund for Afghanistan, has announced that it is facing a severe shortage of life-saving therapeutic foods (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods) due to a reduction in global funding.
Tajuddin Owyala, head of UNICEF’s office in Afghanistan, reported today (Thursday, April 17) on his X account that this year, 3.5 million children under five years old in Afghanistan are suffering from malnutrition, with 1.5 million of them at risk of acute and severe malnutrition.
The United Nations Children’s Fund for Afghanistan emphasized that immediate support is essential to save the lives of these children.
Previously, the World Food Programme also stated that 3.5 million children in Afghanistan would suffer from malnutrition this year, meaning that one child will fall into malnutrition every ten seconds.
Mutinta Chimuuka, a representative of the World Food Programme, noted that Afghanistan is currently facing the worst child malnutrition crisis in its history.
The World Food Programme has also complained about budget shortages and stated that with adequate funding, it is possible to halt the malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan.
It is worth mentioning that malnutrition is a serious crisis in Afghanistan, especially among children, with issues such as poverty and lack of access to adequate health and nutrition services hindering the provision of essential treatments and prevention of this disease.
OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has predicted that the number of malnourished children in Afghanistan will reach 3.5 million by 2025.
According to United Nations reports, this figure has been around 3 million children under five over the past five years.
