There is desperation in Afghanistan as hunger worsens and donations drop, forcing ration cuts. The international community must provide funding for Afghan relief or this long-suffering nation may succumb to famine.
Lack of donations already forced the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to reduce food assistance. Afghans are experiencing level four of hunger severity (on a scale of five). Families don't know where their next meal is coming from, spending the day searching for food. They need food aid now more than ever as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates.
"The country is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century and WFP's food assistance is the last lifeline for millions of Afghans," said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP country director in Afghanistan.
To help Afghanistan, the WFP needs $800 million to provide at least half rations for the next six months. The international community must help fund full rations. Of the many problems Afghanistan has, we can at least prevent famine. The U.N. warned with current funds, the "WFP will only be able to provide crucial support to four million people out of the 13 million planned in April."
There is a crushing hunger crisis in Afghanistan with 20 million people struggling to find food. Drought, conflict, and instability plunged Afghanistan into food shortages.
"Children are going to bed hungry night after night. Millions are at risk of severe malnutrition and other life-threatening illnesses. Families are taking desperate measures to survive—sending their children to work or surviving on bread alone," said Chris Nyamandi of Save the Children Afghanistan.
It's vital to get Afghan infants life-saving foods like the enriched peanut paste Plumpy'Nut, which can save babies from deadly malnutrition. There must also be a universal school feeding program for all Afghan children. Infant nutrition and school meals would drastically improve the health of the nation.
The Taliban government should allow all Afghan girls to go to secondary school—a basic right to education. Only through education can girls become teachers, doctors, lawyers, aid workers, and contribute to Afghan society. Afghanistan will not survive as a country if it continues to push its women and girls into the shadows.
When girls can attend school, they can bring home rations as part of the World Food Program's school feeding initiative. These rations help the entire family.
"Afghanistan is the only country in the world that has banned girls above sixth grade from education, yet girls here are striving for a better future, and they know the best path to success is through school. ... We urge the Taliban to allow girls to go back to school without any further delays," said Olivier Franchi, Save the Children's acting country director for Afghanistan.
Each of us can advocate for food aid to rescue Afghanistan from famine by writing to congressional representatives. You can even hold a fundraiser for WFP, Save the Children, and other charities working in Afghanistan. Raise your voice in support of all Afghan girls so that they may return to school.
The Afghan people, who suffered so much, need our help. We must respond with food and give them hope.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) on the book Ending World Hunger. His writings have been published by The Washington Post, History News Network, Cleveland's The Plain Dealer and many other news outlets. Lambers recently volunteered to write the Hunger Heroes section of WFP's online learning game Freerice.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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