As a large number of Afghans have been benefited from UN relief agencies, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has said that humanitarian aids that have been provided to 25 million people in Afghanistan in the past eight months are insufficient.
According to UNOCHA, millions of people who received one form of assistance will continue to require multiple rounds of support over the course of the year to survive. Currently, there are more people today in Afghanistan who rely on humanitarian assistance as the only source of survival.
In a recent report released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that humanitarian partners have reached close to 25 million people throughout 2022 with at least one form of assistance.
“Between January and August 2022, humanitarian partners reached at least 21.5 million people with food and livelihoods support; 10.8 million people with access to health care consultations and treatment; 4.7 million children and pregnant and lactating women with support to prevent and address acute malnutrition; 8.9 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance; 491,000 children with access to education and education materials; 1.5 million people with emergency shelter and household items; and 5.1 million people with protection assistance,” the report said.
According to the OCHA report, response was enabled by a combination of new funding in 2022 (US$1.93 billion) and funds carried over from 2021 ($542 million). However, $2.47 billion (56 per cent) of the $4.4 billion required to deliver humanitarian assistance in 2022 remains unfunded.
According to a number of Afghan needy people, the aids most Afghans have received in past months are not sufficient.
They are asking for increasing the aids.
“It’s so challenging and difficult if you do not have anything to eat or have not shelter to live especially when one has family. Everyday my children want me to provide them with food, but I cannot provide them with food and shelter,” said Mir Hamza, a resident of Kabul living along with other displaced families.
He said that there were many families that have been displaced due to continued drought and were now living in Kabul, adding that all the displaced families were living in a bad situation as they could not find enough food for their children.
Most families have received aids once and now that winter is arriving, it is hoped international welfare organizations work to provide these families with enough food and shelter. Currently, majority of Afghan families have been now dependent to aids provided by UN agencies and other welfare organizations in the past one year. Most families struggling to survive hope the aids will increase and continue in coming months.
On the other hand, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) is working to provide economic opportunities for those poor families living in districts and the countryside.
“Providing economic opportunities and loans for families living in suburbs, loans to people with disabilities and launching capacity building programs for these people are part of programs of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan so that they can make use of their resources and boost their economy,” said Sayed Mohsin Hashimi, head of programs of SCA.
Like SCA there are other international organizations that are working to help Afghans. Besides, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) leadership is also working to boost the country’s economic situation by implementing small and big projects in the country.
Shukria Kohistani
International community aids to Afghanistan not sufficient, UN
