France has allocated €3mn ($3.3mn) from its Food Assistance Program (FAP) to bolster the World Food Programme’s (WFP) school feeding and nutrition initiatives in Afghanistan, where escalating hunger and malnutrition are heavily affecting mothers and children.
The funding will support WFP’s initiatives aimed at delivering vital nutrition to vulnerable Afghan communities. More than 15,000 Afghan primary school children will be provided with healthy daily snacks, and over 35,000 students will receive monthly take-home rations of vegetable oil to enhance family nutrition. The program also focuses on nearly 60,000 young children and more than 10,000 pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, supplying them with specialized nutritious food vital for their health and development.
“More than three-quarters of families in Afghanistan cannot afford a balanced diet to prevent malnutrition,” said Salina Grenet-Catalano, Director of Global Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. “As we prepare to host the next Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris in March 2025, France prioritizes the fight against malnutrition and remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan.”
This funding comes at a time of critical need. In 2023, WFP faced severe funding shortages that forced the organization to halt support for 2mn women and children, contributing to rising malnutrition rates. Last year, a funding crisis led WFP to withdraw food aid for 10mn people, leaving entire provinces at risk of slipping into emergency levels of hunger.
“This contribution arrives at a crucial moment for Afghan mothers and children, who are bearing the brunt of the hunger crisis,” said Harald Mannhardt, WFP’s Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan remains a global hunger hotspot, with over a quarter of the population facing hunger and nine out of ten women-led households unable to afford adequate food.”
In partnership with more than 2,400 health clinics across the country, WFP provides nutrition services to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, along with children under five, to prevent and address malnutrition. Specialized nutritious food is also distributed to the most food-insecure families to help stave off malnutrition among mothers and young children.
This latest pledge brings France’s contribution to WFP in Afghanistan to €6mn ($6.5mn) in 2024 alone, with France ranking among WFP’s top ten donors in Afghanistan over the past two years with a cumulative contribution of nearly $16mn.
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