Forty years of conflict, recurring natural disasters, aggravating poverty and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are devastating the people of Afghanistan. On the grip of one of the worst droughts and food shortages in decades, an estimated 22.8 million Afghans are suffering from food insecurity and hunger. The  ongoing winter season increases prevalent problems. Among those severely affected are 3.2 million children under-five who suffer from acute malnutrition. For the first time, urban residents are equally affected as rural communities. The RCRC is constantly working in Afghanistan and neighbour countries. The appeals of the ICRC and the IFRC (see links) mirror the desastrous situation. The Austrian Red Cross and Neighbour in Need (NiN) will, as a first step, contribute with food support for 1,260 families.

1,260 Afghan families (8,820 people) severely affected by the drought will be provided with 1,260 food baskets reducing acute food insecurity over a period of one month. A second month of food support will be provided in the course of the IFRC / Afghan Red Crescent Society ‘Plan of Action’. This contributes to the overall objective to reduce famine and malnutrition among the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan. The Afghan Red Crescent Society is a trusted humanitarian actor in the country, which is recognized and accepted by the Taliban, and is therefore expected to cover more hard-to-reach districts and targeting a greater number of vulnerable people.