Afghanistan teeters on the edge of a child malnutrition abyss, with UNICEF warning of 3.7 million severely affected children every year in what ranks among global hotspots.
Tajuddin Oyewale, UNICEF’s top official there, expressed grave worries while rolling out advanced anti-malnutrition directives, per local press. He demanded swift, scaled-up efforts to rescue the innocent.
Post-2021 economic nosedive, arid spells, and humanitarian cash crunches have fueled the surge. World Food Programme data shows 90% of homes can’t buy enough sustenance, condemning kids to stunted potential.
Fresh guidelines innovate with robust protocols for dire malnutrition instances and tailored infant care below six months, eyed as pivotal for slashing death rates.
Drivers include poverty traps, food scarcity, healthcare deserts, maternal deficiencies—rural zones suffer most, worsened by female worker bans.
Education fares no better: 90% of 10-year-olds illiterate; 2.2 million girls sidelined since Taliban’s rise via shutdowns and teacher gaps.
UNICEF pushes for relentless early schooling pushes in reading and arithmetic. Ignoring this dual crisis risks entrenching despair, with malnutrition and ignorance scarring Afghanistan’s future profoundly.