Increased conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan have left children paying a heavy price. Afghanistan was already one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child. Now, with a security crisis, skyrocketing food prices, a severe drought, the spread of COVID-19, and another harsh winter just around the corner, children are at greater risk than ever.

Children should not pay for conflict with their childhoods. Afghanistan’s children need peace.

Jony Doe

UNICEF has been on the ground in Afghanistan for 65 years with offices nationwide and a range of partners that support us in delivering life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable, especially children.

What’s happening in Afghanistan? 

• Think about data in everything you do
• Network with other data “non-geeks”
• Get comfortable with a new way of working

UNICEF is supporting mobile health and nutrition teams in camps for internally displaced persons, setting up nutrition hubs and vaccination sites, pre-positioning additional life-saving supplies, and supporting students in community-based education classes.

Against a backdrop of conflict and insecurity, children are living in communities that are running out of water because of drought. They’re missing out on life-saving vaccines. Many are so malnourished they lie in hospital beds, too weak to grasp an outstretched finger.

How is UNICEF responding?

UNICEF is continuing to work with partners to support children and their families across the country.

UNICEF

UNICEF is committed to continuing its work for children and families across Afghanistan. To reach the hardest-to-reach children, UNICEF is advocating with all parties to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, in line with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action.

UNICEF is supporting emergency water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services, including the provision of safe water through water trucking, construction and repair of handpumps, along with the provision of supplies and hygiene promotion.