The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis….reports Asian Lite News
The United States is committed to providing additional one million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Afghanistan through COVAX, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The United States is fulfilling our commitment to provide this additional 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Afghanistan by delivering 840,000 more doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This donation via #COVAX saves lives and reflects U.S. support of the Afghan people,” Blinken tweeted on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the United States earlier announced USD 308 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan.
“The United States is announcing a new contribution of more than USD 308 million in humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan. This brings the total U.S. humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly USD 782 million since October 2021, and we remain the single largest donor of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan,” National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement last week.
The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis.
A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban, have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.
The international community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people.
Unicef aid to 800 families
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) distributed aid to 800 vulnerable and needy Afghan families including food, medical supplies and winter supplies.
The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) on Tuesday distributed the aid, reported Tolo News.
Mawlawi Mohammad Abas Akhund, head of the National Disaster Management Authority of Afghanistan, asked the international community to increase humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
“This program will carry on, today it is here, tomorrow in some other areas. We try to not leave a single place in the city that is not helped,” said Mawlawi Mohammad Abas Akhund, head of ANDMA, reported Tolo News.
Meanwhile, officials at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) say that they are concerned about the economic crisis in Afghanistan, and they are trying to double their assistance, especially to the malnourished children in the country.
“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the escalating crisis, we are here as we have been for the last seventy years, we are scaling up our response, we are tracking water, we are distributing more winter kits, we are supporting children who are malnourished,” said Sam Mort, Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Civic Engagement for UNICEF Afghanistan, based in Kabul, reported Tolo News.
Although there have been reports regarding the increase of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, citizens say that these assistances are not enough in the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Help us in this bad situation, because we are living in a very poor situation,” said Huma, a resident of Kabul.
“People have many problems; the situation is very bad. People are homeless; they have no flour, water or bread,” said Mohammad Nader, another resident of Kabul, reported Tolo News.
This comes as the United Nations said last week that half of Afghanistan’s population was starving because of the dire economic situation in Afghanistan and the UN asked for USD 4.4 billion in aid to Afghanistan. (ANI)
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