Kabul: The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning that more than four million mothers and children in Afghanistan are currently facing malnutrition, as the country’s humanitarian crisis continues to deepen.
In a message posted on social media platform X, WFP said the situation is deteriorating rapidly due to hunger, widespread unemployment, and a significant reduction in international humanitarian aid.
According to the agency, households headed by women or those with minimal income are particularly vulnerable, with a direct correlation between rising malnutrition rates and increasing food insecurity and economic hardship.
WFP also shared a video story of a Kabul resident, Bibi Hawa, to illustrate the dire situation many Afghan families are experiencing. The video shows the harsh reality of her daily struggle to provide for her child, as her unemployed husband manages to bring home only half a kilogram of flour every other day.
“We survive on dry bread,” she says. “My husband brings home half a kilo of flour every other day. That’s all we cook. We don’t even have enough money to pay for transport to a health clinic.”
The agency warned that this alarming rise in malnutrition is tightening its grip on Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations.
This comes as more than 23 million Afghans—over half of the country’s population—are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance.
WFP noted that political instability, compounded by the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women’s education and employment, has led to a sharp decline in international aid, further exacerbating the crisis.
The agency calls for urgent international action to prevent the situation from worsening and to provide lifesaving support to millions at risk.
