KABUL (SW) – At least 10 million children in Afghanistan are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, Save the Children said in a fresh report.
This comes amid growing calls for urgent increases in humanitarian funding to Afghanistan, as figures reveal that just over 18million people, almost half the population, desperately need life-saving support.
With no immediate end in sight to the decades-long conflict, Save the Children’s Country Director in Afghanistan Chris Nyamandi said, “Millions of people are suffering every day because of poverty and conflict. It’s especially hard on children many of whom have known nothing but violence. Conflict continues to cause extreme physical and psychological harm, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes every year.
He said the fighting will continue to fuel humanitarian needs this year, which will threaten people’s wellbeing and limit access to essential services like hospitals and clinics as well as humanitarian assistance. “Now the schools are closed because of the harsh winter conditions and COVID-19 restrictions and they won’t reopen until March. Meanwhile, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.”
He added the plight of the Afghan people is threatened by inadequate humanitarian funding pledged by wealthy nations at a Geneva based conference last November. “Aid to Afghanistan has alarmingly dropped at a time when the humanitarian need is rising. We’re now in the unenviable position where aid falls far short of what’s needed to meet the needs of the people.”
In 2020, World Bank estimates revealed that the pandemic had led to massive disruptions to imports including vital household items, which in turn is leading to rapid inflation. Ongoing natural and man-made disasters, and the added health and socio-economic strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, will deepen the humanitarian impact across the country.
In response, Save the Children called for at least another US$3bn in humanitarian assistance to help the Afghan people in 2021. Without it the humanitarian community will struggle to meet the growing needs of an entire generation of children whose lives have been blighted by conflict.
“Millions of people are suffering every day because of conflict, poverty, and now the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a desperately sad situation that needs urgent attention from the international community,” said Nyamandi.
Abdul Fattah Ishrat Ahmadzai, spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said on the occasion that it will be very difficult to address the needs of all these children with the challenges and problems that are prevalent in society today. “It is a fundamental and important challenge for the government of Afghanistan”, he said.
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