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WFP delivers China’s aid to 70,000 food-insecure Afghans

Millions of families have almost no way to cope with another harsh winter. WFP is one of the last remaining barriers between Afghanistan and famine. WFP is working to preposition food in rugged and remote areas before the winter sets in and urgently needs US$ 172 million to do so. • Afghanistan is facing the most serious famine risk of the last two decades, with nearly 19 million people acutely hungry, of which 6 million are now teetering on the edge of famine (IPC4). These are unprecedented levels of hunger. Earlier this year we saw catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5) in inaccessible areas of Ghor province, showing the urgent need to provide sustained humanitarian assistance year-round. • Having struggled through a year of unprecedented economic hardship and environmental disasters like earthquakes and flooding, vulnerable families are less prepared than ever to weather another harsh winter. Homes and fields have been destroyed, jobs and incomes vanished, people fell into debt and food prices on local markets skyrocketed; what little money families have buys less and less food. • WFP urgently requires US$ 172 million (of which USD 100 million are resourced) buy and move 150,000 mt of food – six times as much as last winter - to strategic locations across the country. This will allow WFP to support 2.2 million people for five months and help avert famine in remote areas like Ghor when hunger bites the hardest. If we fail to secure funding and preposition food before winter starts in October, people will fall into catastrophic levels of hunger.

The food aid, including wheat flour, yellow split peas, vegetable oil and salt, is expected to support 70,000 impoverished Afghan residents for two months in the war-ridden country…reports Asian Lite News

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan said on Monday that it has started distributing to locals a batch of food aid from China.

According to the WFP, the food aid, including wheat flour, yellow split peas, vegetable oil and salt, is expected to support 70,000 impoverished Afghan residents for two months in the war-ridden country.

WFP Afghanistan is facing a funding crisis this year, and China’s aid is “very timely,” said Liu Xuerong, head of the programme of WFP Afghanistan, adding that the office welcomes any form of contributions, either in kind or in cash, and is willing to develop cooperation with Chinese authorities in more fields, including training agricultural talents.

“China will continue to cooperate with the WFP to provide food assistance to the people of Afghanistan through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund,” said Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu.

According to WFP Afghanistan’s Situation Report in June, 15.3 million people in Afghanistan are projected to be acutely food-insecure between May and October 2023.

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