LONDON: More than a dozen major UK aid agencies have joined forces to launch an emergency appeal for public donations in an effort to avert a deadly famine that has killed millions in Afghanistan.
One million children are at risk of malnutrition and over 22 million will starve to death in the next three months, according to coordination efforts by Britain’s Disaster Emergency Committee.
Oxfam, the British Red Cross, and 13 other charities are launching appeals for money to help survive the disaster, and the British government has earmarked a pound-per-pound for the first £10 million ($13.25 million) raised by the public. promised. promised to join. ,
The DEC has warned that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, conflict and drought in Afghanistan have brought the country to a “tipping point”, putting 8 million people at risk of starvation.
And while the Taliban’s capture of the country had been a contributing factor in the crisis, Afghanistan was also grappling with its worst drought in more than a quarter century. Much of the country’s wheat crop has been ruined, and prices have gone up as a result.
The committee said in a statement, “The situation will worsen as the cold weather approaches. We must act now to save lives. The DEC charity is already providing life-saving assistance, expanding its operations.” has been.” And reach out to the most needy people.”
DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said the situation was already “very bad”. He continued: “We can’t just sit and watch. We just can’t let that happen.”
Public donations will be used to supply winter kits to provide emergency food and cash to hungry families, to provide nutrition to young children and mothers, to support health facilities in treating malnutrition, and to help families stay warm .
Marine Horn of the British Red Cross told the BBC that people are “living hand-to-mouth, not knowing where their next meal will come from” and “asking for the most basic of help to feed their babies.”
He said people in Afghanistan were traditionally resilient, but now had a “sense of despair” and “there was no light at the end of the tunnel.”
He added: “We are ringing alarm bells. It’s not about making things better right now, it’s about saving lives and reaching out to people before it’s too late.”