The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that Ramadan this year begins in Afghanistan while millions of people do not know where their next meal will come from.
According to OCHA’s report, 14.8 million people in Afghanistan are facing food insecurity.
Meanwhile, the organization highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country, stating that only $9.9M (0.9%) of the $1.09B needed for a response has been secured.
Gul Mir, a 48-year-old man, said that the harsh living conditions have forced him to move to Kabul to earn a living by polishing shoes. He is compelled to work to meet his family’s needs but earns no more than 100 afghani per day.
“I make 100 afghani a day. I have 10 family members to support, and with this 100 afghani, we have only eaten dry bread. It’s Ramadan, and I swear to God, I couldn’t even buy a small amount of cream. Yesterday, I sat all day and managed to polish only one shoe, earning just 20 afghani,” said Gul Mir, a Kabul resident.
Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has warned that shutting down the agency by the US government will lead to unnecessary deaths.
However, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Economy believes that lifting global economic sanctions could be a solution to this crisis.
“The fundamental solution is for the international community to lift restrictions and enable the implementation of infrastructure projects so that people can find jobs and gradually move toward self-sufficiency instead of relying on foreign aid,” stated Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy.
“Instead of relying on foreign aid, which creates dependency, the government must develop expertise in this area. We need to design a fundamental economic strategy that will make our economy stand on its own,” stated Mohammad Nabi Afghan, an economic analyst.
Poverty, unemployment, and the lack of access to humanitarian aid have raised concerns among international organizations.
These organizations warn daily about the reduction in aid and the risk of a severe crisis in Afghanistan’s future.
In a recent statement, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that by 2025, nearly 22.9 million people, including 12 million children, will require humanitarian assistance.