LONDON: More than a dozen of the UK’s most prominent aid agencies have joined forces to launch an emergency appeal for public donations in a bid to avert a deadly famine for millions of people in Afghanistan.
According to the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee, which is coordinating the efforts, 1 million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition in the next three months, and more than 22 million will go hungry.
Oxfam, the British Red Cross, and another 13 charities, are together launching the appeal for money to help avoid the disaster and the British government has promised to match pound-for-pound the first £10 million ($13.25 million) raised by the public.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, conflict, and drought in Afghanistan have brought the country to a “tipping point,” the DEC warned, leaving 8 million people at risk of starvation.
And while the Taliban takeover of the country had been a contributing factor to the crisis, Afghanistan was also in the grip of its worst drought in more than a quarter of a century. Much of the nation’s wheat crop has been ruined, and prices have soared as a result.
In a statement, the committee said: “The situation will only get worse as the freezing weather sets in. We must act now to save lives. DEC charities are already on the ground providing lifesaving aid, scaling up their operations, and reaching those most in need.”
Saleh Saeed, the DEC’s chief executive officer, said the situation was already “beyond horrific.” He added: “We can’t just sit back and watch. We can’t just let this happen.”
Public donations would be used to deliver emergency food and cash to hungry families, provide nutrition for young children and mothers, support healthcare facilities in treating malnutrition, and supply winter kits to help families stay warm.
Maryann Horne, of the British Red Cross, told the BBC that people were living “hand to mouth, not knowing where their next meal will come from” and “asking for the most basic help to feed their children.”
She said people in Afghanistan were traditionally resilient but now had a “sense of desperation” with “no light at the end of the tunnel.”
She added: “We are sounding the alarm bell. This is no longer about making things better, this is about saving lives, and reaching people before it’s too late.”
