This article contains pictures of a sensitive nature, including undernourished newborn that may be triggering for some individuals
Children in Afghanistan are facing high rates of malnutrition. Inadequate nutrition, education and ongoing conflict contribute to the prevalence of malnutrition among children. Lack of access to healthcare is one of the main reasons in many provinces and districts, affecting a huge number of the children in the country. The two-decade war brought malnutrition to its highest level that never happened before in the history of the country.
Humanitarian aid and nutrition programs have also helped to combat malnutrition in Afghanistan. Efforts to address this issue typically involve interventions such as providing nutritional supplements, improving access to clean water and sanitation, and promoting breastfeeding and nutritious diets.
Lack of adequate medical treatment in Afghanistan can indeed contribute to malnutrition, as it hampers the ability to diagnose and treat illnesses that can lead to malnutrition. Additionally, limited access to nutritious food due to various factors like the current political situation, poverty, and lack of infrastructure exacerbates the situation.
Huge increase in malnutrition among children
Safia is one year and nine months old; she weighs 9lb (4kg), and it is the ninth month that she has been malnourished. Her mother says, “I don’t want my child to die in hunger” and adds, “Our lives are in dire straits because we don’t have the proper food to eat, there’s nothing left in me so that I could breastfeed her”. She lives in the Gereshk district, Helmand province and her husband is a farmer.
Malnutrition and food insecurity threat for children under five
According to reports, half of Afghanistan’s under-fives suffer acute malnutrition
Dr Farooq Jamal, head of the malnutrition department of Gereshk District Hospital who has been working in this position for many years says, “Malnutrition is one of the main problems at the hospital, after the Taliban takeover, in just 10 months the number of malnourished children increased by a huge amount.” He mentioned about the lack of equipment in the hospital, “We don’t have modern medical devices and the hospital always faces a shortage of medicines, so how can we cure children? Mothers of children ask us the same question (Why is my child not getting better?), and I can’t answer that”.
Abdul Samad (not his real name) who is currently living in Kabul, migrated from Nangarhar province two months back – his wife gave birth to a baby boy and they named him Abdul Wahid. Their child is two months old, fighting malnutrition and has been brought to a children’s health hospital in Kabul twice by his father for malnutrition treatment. But there are no improvements in his health condition, his father says, “his health is getting worse day by day, this all is due to poverty and misfortune, mother of my children has no milk to feed Wahid”.
The two-decade war in Afghanistan already cost 1.5mn lives, how many will die because of starvation no one knows. Afghanistan witnessed a sharp increase in poverty from 40% to 60% in 2016.
How many lives will malnutrition take? Women and children are paying the price for the war that they had nothing to do with.
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