WFP’s Food for Training Program in Afghanistan provides rations for street children at Aschiana Foundation Centers. Funding is needed by WFP and Aschiana to ensure these programs can be maintained and expanded to reach impoverished children. (photo courtesy WFP/Assadullah Azhari)
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it’s seeking “urgent contributions” for its food assistance programs in Afghanistan. WFP has only received 69 million of the 365 million dollars needed for the 2012 country program. The UN food agency relies entirely on voluntary donations.
To fight hunger and build food security in Afghanistan, WFP organizes Food for Work to improve agriculture, nutrition assistance for mothers and infants, and a school feeding program to help educate children. These initiatives are essential as nearly one third of the country is suffering from hunger and millions of others are on the brink.
During July, WFP provided school feeding to one million Afghan children and sponsored Food for Work projects focusing on watershed management, cleaning of irrigation systems and feeder roads rehabilitation. WFP fed over 150,000 people in the Mother & Child Health and Nutrition and TB programmes.
WFP’s ability to continue providing this food is in doubt as the agency “needs additional resources to avoid food pipeline breaks in wheat and High Energy Biscuits beginning in October 2012.”
Food prices remain high in Afghanistan and continued insecurity makes distribution of food a dangerous challenge. WFP is currently doing a Food Security and Livelihood Assessment to help plan its strategy going forward in Afghanistan.
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Author William Lambers 