An Afghan child suffering from malnutrition receives medical treatment at a hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on November 1, 2022. The World Food Program announced on Tuesday that it was reducing aid to Afghanistan. (File Photo by EPA-EFE)
Sept. 5 (UPI) — The United Nations’ World Food Program is facing a global funding shortfall that has resulted in an additional 2 million people in Afghanistan being cut off from assistance, on top of the 8 million already impacted, the program revealed on Tuesday.
The program’s officials in Afghanistan stated that they can only provide emergency aid to 3 million people each month.
“Amidst alarming levels of hunger and malnutrition, we are faced with the difficult choice of deciding between those who are hungry and those who are starving, leaving millions of families struggling to find their next meal,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, the WFP’s Director and Representative for Afghanistan, in a statement.
“With the limited resources we have remaining, we are unable to reach all those who are on the brink of complete destitution.”
The program began reducing its support in March, stating that it could only assist 50% of the population in need, down from 75%.
It is estimated that the program requires $1 billion to reach its planned target of aiding 21 million people.
“In April and May, we were forced to terminate food assistance for 8 million individuals,” the program reported. “Women are especially impacted by these cuts, as they are increasingly marginalized in society, facing limited opportunities to earn a living or feed their children.
“As a result of these cuts, 1.4 million new and expectant mothers, as well as their children, are no longer receiving specialized food aimed at preventing malnutrition.”
Human rights advocates have highlighted the severe curtailment of women’s rights by the Taliban since their takeover of the country two years ago, further complicating the food situation.
This year, the Taliban ordered the closure of all beauty parlors and prohibited women from taking medical school exit examinations or working in non-governmental aid organizations. In December, they banned women from attending universities.
