The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that 15.9 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe hunger as winter approaches.
On Friday, October 30, OCHA said that nearly one-third of the country’s population faces severe hunger and that the situation is expected to worsen during the coming winter.
The agency added that despite improved rainfall and increased agricultural production, millions of families still cannot afford the food they need.
OCHA has projected that more than four million children aged six months to five years in Afghanistan will need treatment for malnutrition in 2027.
The agency has also warned that continued restrictions on women’s education and employment could leave Afghanistan facing a shortage of 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030.
OCHA stressed that long-term investment in livelihoods, essential services and economic opportunities is necessary to help communities withstand future crises.
