Afghan children face severe malnutrition as aid dwindles and hospitals overflow

Kalsoum, a three-year-old Afghan child, is receiving treatment for severe undernutrition at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, the country's premier pediatric center. Her mother, Malika, fears for her daughter's life and also worries about her three sons, as the family's daily income of 30-45 Afghanis is insufficient. The hospital’s undernutrition ward holds only 20 patients, frequently housing two children per bed, and cannot expand despite a surge in cases.

John Aylieff, the World Food Programme's country director, warns that acute hunger has hit record levels, while UNICEF notes that more than 100 nutrition treatment sites have shut down this year because of reduced international assistance. The decline in aid follows the Taliban's takeover five years ago, which sharply cut humanitarian funding and pushed more families into poverty.