![Needy Afghans receive food packages from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) in Taloqan, capital of Takhar province, July 23. [Takhar Rural Rehabilitation and Development]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/08/05/36565-a-739_416.webp)
KUNDUZ -- Families in Takhar province who are at risk of hunger are receiving food aid from the World Food Programme (WFP), with 1,500 receiving assistance in recent days and more than 6,500 to follow, officials said.
In the Takhar provincial capital of Taloqan, families were assessed through the Shelter for Life non-governmental organisation (NGO), said Hayatullah Rasuli, director of the WFP for the northeastern provinces.
Workers distributed a food package of five essential items to 1,500 families on July 23, he told Salaam Times.
Food aid will reach another 6,500 needy families in Takhar by August 22, Rasuli said.
"The food package includes flour, rice, oil, chickpeas, sugar and other necessary items for a family," he said.
"The value of each food package is more than 3,500 AFN ($39)," he added. "We plan to expand this assistance to other districts in the near future and cover needy and poor families in our assistance."
The packages are provided "to alleviate economic pressure on families, especially on those that suffered financial and human losses in recent months and are now facing severe poverty", he said.
United Nations (UN) agencies and partner NGOs have been able to distribute food and non-food items to thousands of needy and low-income families in recent months, and the process is ongoing, he said.
Lifesaving aid
According to WFP Afghanistan, 19 million inhabitants are facing acute hunger across the country, amid a severe drought and crippling economic crisis.
Since the beginning of 2022, WFP has provided more life-saving assistance to more than 18 million Afghans, including 410,000 metric tonnes of food and $115.8 million worth of cash and food vouchers.
WFP works in all 34 provinces and has a fleet of 239 trucks on the road every day, delivering food to some 800 food distribution sites.
The US government is the single largest humanitarian donor in Afghanistan, providing more than $774 million in humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and to Afghan refugees in the region since mid-August 2021.
This includes more than $573 million from the US Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and more than $201 million from the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
While appreciative of food assistance, aid recipients in Takhar province who spoke to Salaam Times called on humanitarian agencies to create jobs, so they can work and earn a living for their families.
"I am a widow and mother of six," said Fatima, 38, a resident of Sarai Sang village outside Taloqan, who goes by her first name only.
"I have been the breadwinner for my children for the last five years, but the difficulties I faced this year are more than I faced in the last five years combined," she added. "I can't feed my children even once a day."
"I received one bag of flour, one bag of rice, one can of oil, 3.5kg of chickpeas, and 1kg of salt," Fatima said. "I am very happy to have food for my children for some time now."
Dire situation
Afghans are in a dire economic situation, said Hafizullah, a 57-year-old day labourer from the Taloqan area village of Khatayan, who goes by his first name.
Growing poverty has made food aid a critical need for his family, he said.
"My children haven't had a proper meal in the last couple of months, since I could afford to buy them only bread," Hafizullah said.
"My children will starve if I can't find work," he said. "I don't know how to make a living for my family."
"The public needs assistance more than any other time," he added, noting that children and the elderly are more at risk of hunger than anyone else.
Food aid can save thousands of lives, Hafizullah said.
Poverty and hunger have grown steadily in Afghanistan during the last 11 months, according to Taloqan resident Sayed Ashraf Mustaghni.
"Given the depth of the economic problems, aid from the international community and aid agencies is critical to Afghans who have been affected by insecurity and conflicts," he said.
But these aid packages are not enough, he said, calling on all NGOs that operate under the UN mandate to do their utmost to help needy families.
"We hope that in addition to providing food and non-food assistance, these NGOs also consider creating job opportunities for Afghans," Mustaghni said.
Afghan people are always needy for the aids from other countries. The reason is that, we Afghans have never served our land. Our water flows freely to the neighboring countries. We have lands for agriculture, but no honorable authority took over power to build canals and irrigate lands and make Afghanistan self-sufficient. We have always looked forward to the help of other countries, but we have not shown any perfection in our country. It is a shame as we always ask for alimony from others. No teacher should say that I am a teacher because you did not teach the students the lessons of patriotism. An engineer should not say that I am an engineer because you have not done anything for the country. No government has worked for Afghanistan to claim that they have built a homeland for our children and that I should live on my own soil. They just lived a luxury life, they looted Afghanistan's wealth and power. Afghans have remained empty handed on the spot. We ask the United Nations to always help us, we are orphans, we have a history of 5000 years, it is a shame as we always extend the hand of begging.
ReplyThere is no doubt that the rulers of Afghanistan have done little, but in fact this is not the fault of only Afghans. In this situation that has happened to Afghanistan, our neighbors, the British Empire, the former Soviet Union, the United States of America, the Arab Gulf countries... all are included. When it comes to the problems of our country, all of them are considered criminals. See, during the last two hundred to three hundred years, when inventions and discoveries were being made in the world, Afghanistan has been at war. The British Empire, which now claims to be the defender of human rights, but never apologized to the Afghans for its attacks, invaded Afghanistan three times. They killed thousands of people. Later, almost a hundred years ago, when Afghanistan got back its independence, and Amanullah Khan began to work for the progress and development of Afghanistan, Britain instigated their spy Habibullah Kalakani (Bache Saqaw) along with a number of religious men from Paktia against Amanullah Khan who deposed the government, and whatever progress was made, was destroyed. After him, Afghanistan was peaceful for almost 50 years, which progressed step by step. In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, killing millions...and the series still continues.
Reply5 Comment
You humiliated us. You made us become beggars. This does not help but poison us. Instead of settling for less, you are giving us poison. It is not enough for us, and it cannot kill us. This aid does not reach even 5% of the houses. It is just cheating the people. Only the reports are spread more. Otherwise, I witness such scenes where the very needy and poor are not given the aids, but those who have got the cards with a referral from others, get it.
Reply5 Comment
These organizations have been feeding Afghans for almost forty years, but no Afghan is fed. If the Afghans were not going to fight with each other, if they were going to support the republican system, if they were not going to destroy their country under Iran, Pakistan, Russia, China, America, and Britain’s orders, and if they were not trapped by the evil plots of the Arabs, Afghanistan wouldn’t be destroyed this much and its people also wouldn’t be needy and beggars. We should indeed understand the value of a blessing at its time, otherwise, we will regret it. I believe that many of these people once opposed the republic, but now with the wrath that the Taliban have unleashed on them, they regret losing the republic.
Reply5 Comment
World Food Program (WFP) is one of those few aid organizations in Afghanistan which honestly and effectively assists the Afghans. I have noticed that every week Salaam Times exclusively publishes several reports on the activities done by the organization. While hundreds of other national and international organizations are also working in Afghanistan, none of them are as active as WFP. I remember that during the first period of the Taliban, the WFP had distributed coupon cards to the people, by which they would provide them with baked bread daily. I also remember that during my school time the WFP biscuits fed the stomachs of hungry students. And now, while Afghanistan and the whole world are suffering from the problem of lacking food, this organization is trying day and night to reach out to vulnerable people. Through your website, I would like to thank this organization and wish them success.
Reply5 Comment