1,500 Afghans at risk of hunger in Samangan receive food assistance

KUNDUZ -- The World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food aid to some 1,500 residents at risk of hunger in Dara-e-Sof Payan district, Samangan province, local officials say.

The aid package included 373 tonnes of wheat flour, 42 tonnes of chickpeas, 3 tonnes of cooking oil and other foods, said Fazel Rahman Sayee, spokesperson for the Provincial Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Department in Samangan.

"Each household received 225kg of wheat flour, 28kg of chickpeas, 2kg of salt, and other food items on May 29," he said. "The assistance package was distributed among those who have been identified as the most vulnerable and poor."

The assistance was provided by WFP and distributed to the target beneficiaries by Hungarian Interchurch Aid after a thorough survey in 28 local shuras in the district, he said.

The aid is meant to alleviate some of the families' economic woes, especially those who have suffered human and financial losses in recent months and are now facing extreme poverty, Sayee said.

Alleviating poverty and hunger

"22.8 million [Afghans] are identified as acutely food insecure," the WFP says on its Afghanistan home page.

Humanitarian assistance helped avert a food security catastrophe over the harsh winter in Afghanistan, but hunger still persists at unprecedented levels, according to a United Nations (UN)-backed report published May 9.

"Record levels of hunger persist in Afghanistan as lingering drought and the deep economic crisis continue to threaten lives and livelihoods," the WFP said in a statement that day.

"Food assistance and emergency livelihood support are the lifeline for the people of Afghanistan," said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP country director and representative in Afghanistan, according to the WFP statement. "We mounted the world's largest humanitarian food operation in a matter of months, reaching more than 16 million people since August 2021."

"We are working with farmers, millers and bakeries; training women and creating jobs to support the local economy," she said. "Because the people of Afghanistan would much prefer jobs, women want to be able to work, and all girls deserve to go to school."

"Allowing the economy to function normally is the surest way out of the crisis; otherwise, suffering will grow where crops cannot," she added.

Afghanistan's food security situation remains "dire", said Richard Trenchard, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's representative in the country, also in the WFP statement.

"Humanitarian assistance remains desperately important, as do the needs to rebuild shattered agricultural livelihoods and re-connect farmers and rural communities to struggling rural and urban markets across the country," he said.

"Unless these happen, there will be no way out of this crisis."

Lifesaving assistance

Recipients of WFP assistance expressed appreciation for the distribution of food and urged other aid organisations to create employment opportunities so they can work and earn a living for their families.

"I received assistance that my family of six can survive on for a month," said Nasratullah, 55, a resident of Chahar Norak village in Dara-e-Sof Payan district.

"The assistance provided by the humanitarian organisations has been timely and effective," he said. "Most households had nothing to eat, and if such assistance wasn't provided, they would have faced hunger."

"People needed the assistance more than ever because most elderly and children are at risk of starvation," he added.

Mohammad Omar, 43, a day labourer from Adam Tash village, said the food aid has been essential for his family.

"My children did not eat proper food for the past several months," he said. "During these months, I could earn only enough to buy bread for them."

"Sometimes, we had to eat twice instead of three times a day," he said. "If I cannot find a job, my children will die of starvation."

Poverty and unemployment have sharply increased in Afghanistan during the past 10 months, Abdul Manan Ibrahimi, a resident of Samangan province, said.

"Given the depth of the economic challenges, the assistance provided by the international community and relief organisations to Afghans affected by conflict and insecurity is very important and indispensable," he said.

However, distributing aid is not enough, he said.

"We demand that in addition to providing food and non-food assistance, these organisations should consider creating job opportunities for Afghans," Ibrahimi said.

"The more aid and collaboration are provided to Afghans, the more their social problems and challenges will be alleviated," he added.