KABUL (SW) – Sixteen million people in Afghanistan require food assistance, stated the World Food Program (WFP) on Friday. Concurrently, the Foreign Relations Committee of the United States House of Representatives also reported that over 12 million people in Afghanistan are experiencing severe hunger, with two million households headed by women.
The Foreign Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives has expressed concern, noting that some mothers resort to using antihistamines to calm their children. It’s important to clarify that antihistamines are not narcotic drugs and are typically used for allergies, but misuse can have adverse effects.
The US House of Representatives and the World Food Program have also said that there is not enough funding to take care of the needy in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a number of needy people in Kabul complain about the high price of food and inadequate income, saying that they cannot afford the food they need.
Mohammad Saber, a 40-year-old Kabul resident with a leg paralysis, relies on selling plastic aftabeh on the city streets; despite his efforts, he can only sell two or three of it a day, falling short of meeting his family’s food and non-food requirements. Struggling through tough times, he laments that often he can’t even afford to prepare bread.
Gulbegum, the head of a 10-member family in Kabul, shares that she sustains her family by doing laundry in others’ homes. However, the meager income from this work compels her to resort to begging on the streets occasionally to make ends meet for her children.
She adds: “I have nothing, I beg for bread, I have orphans. We do not have anyone to work; I myself wash cloths in houses and sometimes I beg. We have not bought fuel yet.”
The Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate attributes the rise in poverty in the country to global restrictions and emphasizes its commitment to efforts aimed at alleviating poverty in Afghanistan.
Abdurahman Habib, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Economy, told Salam Watandar: “Poverty in our country has a previous history, the cutoff of development aid from the international community was one of the factors that increased the level of poverty in the country,” adding that the Ministry of Economy is concentrating on fostering domestic production, investing in key sectors, and promoting the growth of small and large industries as part of its strategy to eradicate poverty.
The upward trend in Afghanistan’s poverty levels, stemming from the final years of the republic, has intensified following the establishment of the Islamic Emirate. This is attributed to the halt of international community-funded development projects and a reduction in international aid.
ENDS
