John Ayliffe, the World Food Programme’s Country Director in Afghanistan, has recently stated that women in Afghanistan are sacrificing their own health and nutrition to feed their children.
In a message posted on his X account, Mr. Ayliffe wrote that Afghan mothers—especially female heads of households or those forced to do hard daily labor—are, under extremely difficult conditions, using their limited resources and compromising their own health to ensure their children are fed.
In part of his message, he warned that four million children in Afghanistan are at risk of severe malnutrition this year, and without urgent intervention, their lives will be in danger.
The WFP Country Director in Afghanistan further emphasized that malnutrition treatment centers in the country are limited, forcing many families to travel hundreds of kilometers to seek treatment for their children.
He noted that economic hardship, water shortages, and lack of access to healthcare have intensified poverty and hunger.
Mr. Ayliffe added that the international community must act urgently to provide food and medical assistance to prevent child deaths and irreversible harm.
The United Nations World Food Programme has also warned that with the arrival of winter, levels of food insecurity in the country are likely to increase significantly.
It is worth noting that following the return of the current authorities to power in Afghanistan, several international organizations announced that they had reduced their assistance in the country due to restrictions on the employment of female staff.
