Afghanistan Faces Rising Child Hunger Crisis, Save the Children Reports

Save the Children has released a new report revealing that nearly eight million Afghan children, or one in every three, are at risk of facing severe hunger in the upcoming year.

Referencing data from the Global Hunger Monitoring System, the report indicates an increase in the number of Afghans experiencing crisis or emergency hunger levels during the winter. This trend marks a deterioration compared to the same period last year.

The Global Hunger Monitoring System’s statistics estimate that by March 2024, approximately 15.8 million people in Afghanistan, constituting over a third of the country’s population, will suffer from acute food insecurity. Alarmingly, nearly half of these individuals, or about 7.8 million, are children.

Irshad Malek, the head of the Children’s Protection Organization, commented on the dire situation, stating, “An estimated 7.8 million children are facing the prospect of insufficient food in 2024. The combination of starvation and extreme cold weather in many areas of Afghanistan is creating a perilous situation for these children. Meeting their nutritional needs is imperative. The lack of adequate funding is endangering lives every day.”