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Kabul: The European Union has provided 20.1 million euros ($21.4 million) to the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, aiming to enhance food security and community resilience for over 300,000 Afghans across 26 provinces. This aid targets vulnerable, displaced Afghans resettling in specific regions.
The initiative will focus on creating small-scale infrastructure, such as flood protection walls and irrigation canals, to protect communities from climate change and natural disasters. Additionally, about 14,000 smallholder farmers will receive tools, seeds, and training to boost their production and access to markets, helping vulnerable families secure their nutritional needs. Participants in the construction projects, which will span six months, will be compensated with food or cash to support their monthly food requirements.
“Supporting smallholder farmers and enhancing their harvests is vital for families struggling to find enough food,” stated Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan. “Through partnership with the World Food Programme, the European Union is launching a program designed to fortify communities against the adverse effects of climate change.”
Mutinta Chimuka, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan, highlighted the urgency of addressing the climate crisis, which significantly impacts the predominantly agricultural Afghan population. “We are grateful to the European Union for its continuous support of WFP’s efforts to enhance the resilience of communities to climate-related challenges,” she said.
In 2023, WFP has supported over 750,000 individuals and their families with emergency food assistance and has been instrumental in constructing community infrastructure, including nearly 30 kilometers of flood protection walls, around 50 kilometers of irrigation canals, and the restoration of over 19 kilometers of roads. WFP’s Food-for-Assets initiatives have addressed immediate hunger while also fostering long-term resilience within communities.
Over the past five years, the European Union has contributed more than $260 million to WFP’s programs in Afghanistan, encompassing emergency food aid, nutritional services, resilience-building activities, and sustaining the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).
