Q&A: How Afghanistan’s hunger and nutrition crisis is affecting families, women and girls
Story | 4 June 2025
Emergency
Afghanistan
- 9.5 million
- people are severely food insecure
- 4.6 million
- mothers and children are malnourished
- US$650 million
- urgently needed for WFP operations up to end of 2025
Large-scale assistance has pulled back millions of families from a hunger catastrophe and saved countless lives in Afghanistan in the past years.
However, without sustained emergency food assistance, 9.5 million people are at high risk.
Two-thirds of female-headed families cannot afford basic nutrition and Afghan women and girls need the World Food Programme's (WFP) assistance the most.
Amid the clampdown on their education, employment and freedoms, they are still coming to our sites for life-saving food and nutrition assistance. However, due to lack of funding, WFP must turn away malnourished mothers and children at nutrition centres.
With food insecurity remaining at crisis levels, malnutrition is surging. This year, 3.5 million children aged under 5, and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, will become malnourished and require life-saving treatment.
WFP urgently needs US$650 million for life-saving operations to the end of 2025.
What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Afghanistan emergency
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Food and nutrition assistance
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WFP delivers life-saving emergency food assistance to families, many of whom have no other means of survival. Last year, WFP was able to support more than 9 million women and children across the country. Due to funding shortfalls, WFP was forced to stop emergency food assistance in May 2025, and this summer can support only 1 million people with emergency assistance to prevent famine. This leaves 8.5 million people without our support.
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Nutrition
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WFP treats malnourished children aged under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in clinics across the country, in partnership with UNICEF. To help prevent malnutrition and stunting, WFP distributes specialized nutritious foods to vulnerable families as part of life-saving emergency food distributions. Due to lack of funding, WFP must turn away thousands of malnourished mothers and children who come to the clinics. The distribution of specialized food, which WFP distributes to prevent malnutrition, was halted completely in May 2025.
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UNHAS
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The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service is vital for aid workers in Afghanistan, where insecurity, poor infrastructure and rugged terrain limit road travel. This year, lack of funding has forced WFP to reduce the destinations served through regular flights, and end contracts for two planes and the only helicopter the United Nations operated in Afghanistan.
How you can help
Please donate today and help life-saving food reach those families who need it most.
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