George Laria Adje, Regional Director of UNICEF South Asia, She said Children have paid the heaviest price in recent weeks due to increased conflict and insecurity.
Not only have some been forced out of their homes, cut off from their schools and friends, but they have also been denied basic health care that could protect them from polio, tetanus and other diseases.
“Now, with the security crisis, the massive rise in food prices, the severe drought, the spread of COVID-19And, with another harsh winter around the corner, children are at greater risk than ever before,” to caution.
The threat of malnutrition looms
UNICEF has projected that if the current trend continues, one million children under the age of five in Afghanistan will face severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition.
Mr. Laria Adji said more than four million children, including 2.2 million girls, are out of school.
About 300,000 young people were forced to flee their homes, some of them were sleeping, “Many of them have seen scenes that no child should have.”, He said.
Children and teenagers Struggling with Anxiety and Fearsin dire need of mental health support.”
Escalate support
With some humanitarian partners considering cutting aid to Afghanistan, Mr. Laria Adji expressed concern that there are sufficient resources to keep health centers up and running, schools open, and services available to treat severely malnourished children.
UNICEF, which has been in Afghanistan for more than six decades, continues to maintain a field presence across the country, working with interlocutors to scale up the response.
The agency is currently supporting mobile health and nutrition teams in camps for displaced people, establishing child-friendly spaces, feeding centers and vaccination sites, while providing additional life-saving supplies and supporting thousands of students in community education classes.
However, Mr. Laria Adji stressed that more resources are urgently needed. UNICEF recently launched a $192 million appeal to address the escalating humanitarian crisis, urging donors to step up support.
“Young people and children have told us that they are in dire need of the most basic items and services – needs that the humanitarian community can easily respond to, with support,” he said.
The needs of Afghanistan’s children have never been greater. We can’t give up on them now.”
0 Comments