Afghanistan: Thousands of people receive humanitarian aid within a week, says UN agency

On Friday, a United Nations agency confirmed that thousands of people received humanitarian aid in Afghanistan in the last one week -- from October 11 to 17. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in Afghanistan, at least 2,625 internally displaced individuals who had recently returned to their communities got household supplies.

The agency stated that a total of 6,013 returnees in the northeastern region of the country got humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, in the provinces of Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Takhar, a total of 164,556 needy people received food assistance under the World Food Programme's (WFP) seasonal assistance, reported news agency Xinhua.  

In the north, the WFP's seasonal livelihoods support program provided food for 43,001 vulnerable individuals in Jawzjan and Sari Pul provinces, while 3,976 people, including displaced families and returnees, received humanitarian aid in Balkh and Faryab provinces. Meanwhile, in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, and Uruzgan provinces in the south, at least 19,178 people were given home supplies, hygiene kits, and tents. In addition, 1,942 families in Helmand, Zabul, and Uruzgan provinces received financial aid, according to the news agency. 

During the cited period, 56,000 people in the east received humanitarian help, while 2,000 persons received it in the western part of the country. According to the OCHA, 3,108 persons displaced by violence in August got humanitarian aid in Kabul, Khost, and Parwan provinces. Meanwhile, 11,935 internally displaced people in Kabul received cash and transportation help to return to their regions of origin. Millions of Afghans have been severely affected by decades of conflict and displacement, persistent poverty, the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe drought, a failing health system, and a shrinking economy, noted the OCHA. 

'Over 18 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive in Afghanistan'

Earlier this month, United Nations humanitarian agencies and their partners appealed to countries to keep their promises to Afghanistan as they scrambled to scale up delivery of vital aid ahead of the upcoming winter season. Last month, a $606 million flash appeal was launched in an attempt to aid more than 10 million vulnerable Afghans, but less than 40% of it was funded, according to a report by UN News. Humanitarians have stressed that pledges and intentions from donors must be translated into reality before it is too late. Nearly half of the population in Afghanistan, more than 18 million people, rely on humanitarian aid to survive, while violence and insecurity have forced more than 3.5 million people to flee their homes, including nearly 700,000 in this year alone, reported UN News. 

Image: ANI