Afghanistan

According to UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Programme, 14 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity, 3.2 million of those children under the age of 5. People in Afghanistan are facing a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis of unparalleled proportions. The rapid increase in those experiencing acute hunger – from 14 million in July 2021 to 23 million in March 2022 – has forced households to resort to desperate measures such as skipping meals or taking on unprecedented debt to ensure there is some food on the table at the end of the day.

Operation Mercy is in close contact with the UN agencies in Afghanistan, and we are engaging directly in two urban centers of Afghanistan where we have preexisting relationships with the health authorities and community through our development projects over the last decade. The goals of our nutrition project in Afghanistan are to prevent morbidity and mortality from malnutrition in vulnerable populations in urban areas of Kabul province, through increased access to treatment for moderate acute malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women, increased awareness of malnutrition and increased capacity of communities to bring about behavioral change and prevent malnutrition.

Our WaSH project is a learner-centered education programme that raises awareness of preventable diseases caused by inadequate sanitation, lack of clean drinking water and poor hygiene practices.

Although our projects may have changed slightly, we remain committed to building hope, capacity and community through partnerships in Afghanistan.