4 Million Afghan Children Face Malnutrition as Aid Cuts Force WFP to Turn Away Most

• Four million Afghan children are at risk of severe malnutrition due to drastic aid cuts, with the WFP forced to turn away three out of four.
• Afghanistan faces a catastrophic nutritional crisis, with two-thirds of the country at serious or crisis levels for acute malnutrition, the highest surge ever recorded.
• The Taliban takeover in 2021, economic collapse, drought, earthquakes, and returning refugees have exacerbated hunger, now compounded by funding cuts to humanitarian aid.
• WFP's budget for Afghanistan plummeted from $600 million to an expected $200 million, severely limiting their ability to reach the 17.4 million people facing acute hunger.
• The crisis is leading to increased child mortality and desperate situations for women, with WFP reporting a 30% rise in malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women.