FAIRFIELD, Conn. (September 6, 2023) – The United Nations World Food Program has announced that it will no longer provide food aid to 2 million people in Afghanistan as aid funding declines as the country faces a series of devastating disasters. drought. Redemption Light says they put food and water out of reach.
Alexander Dudley, founder of Redemption Light, called on the international community to fulfill its obligations to the Afghan people. He said:
“After years of drought and economic crisis, Afghanistan’s children and their families are on the verge of collapse. Our recent survey across multiple provinces shows that three quarters (76.1%) of children say they are eating less than last year. We see more and more children being forced into unsafe situations such as child labor because of family reasons. Work hard to deal with it.
“As international governments gather in Brussels next week to discuss Afghanistan, we call on them to live up to their obligations and commitments to the Afghan people. It is shocking to think of how much further suffering these cuts will cause children. Now is not the time to walk away. More funding is needed, not less. Without more funding, the aid response will weaken, which means more children will face hunger, malnutrition and disease. Time is up for Afghanistan’s children, and the rest There are not many left. The international community must act to prevent more children from going hungry.”
Children in Afghanistan, like one-year-old Shayesta*, already face severe food shortages due to the twin impacts of climate change and poverty. Drought caused crops to fail, and her family subsisted mainly on tea and bread. Shayesta’s mother Zahida* told Redemption Light:
“She (Shayesta) was very thin and had been sick for 40 days. One day she was fine, then she was sick for two days. She was very thin and not in good condition. Even though she was weak, I didn’t want her to die, I was scared , I’ve already lost one child and I don’t want to lose a second child.”
Redemption Light has been working in Afghanistan since 2021, including during times of conflict, regime change and natural disasters. It has projects in nine provinces and works with partners in another six provinces.
Since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, Redemption Light has been scaling up its response to support the growing number of children in need in previously inaccessible areas. Redemptive Light provides health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as food security and livelihood support. Since September 2021, Redemption Light has reached more than 4 million people, including 2.1 million children.
