15m in Afghanistan face food insecurity: WFP

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Country Director for the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, Hsiao-Wei Lee, said that there are 15 million people in Afghanistan who are struggling with food insecurity beyond the 7 million most vulnerable people.

In an interview with TOLOnews, Wei Lee expressed concerns over rising needs in the coming winter. “I have very much fear that this coming winter, we will not be able to do so.

But again, looking at what is the bare minimum? 400 million dollars is what we really need to be able to get through at least the most vulnerable population but at the same time, we must remember that even beyond those 7 million that are most vulnerable—beyond that—there are 15 million people in Afghanistan,” she said. She said the delivery of humanitarian assistance and rise in harvests across the country are the factors that have helped the people of Afghanistan.

“First the large-scale humanitarian assistance that we have seen come into the country over the last two-years, that has made a tremendous mark on helping the people of Afghanistan. We also have seen this year at least some improvements in harvest,” Wei Lee said. After the Islamic Emirate came to power, large-scale development assistance has been suspended by the donors.

Afghanistan has also plunged into a humanitarian crisis. She also pointed out to the organization’s activity, saying that WFP works on “natural resource management, irrigation canals, check dams, planting trees and [people] to improve and enhance their production. This comes as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in its recent report warned that at least 28.8 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance.