WFP to provide food assistance for 15m Afghans each month

KABUL (Khaama Press): The World Food Program plans to provide more than 15 million people with food assistance each month until March 2023, according to sources, a day after the Europe, US and partners concluded humanitarian aid alone not enough to solve economic problems in Afghanistan.
Previously, the World Food Program (WFP) said that it will import 80,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine to distribute to the people in need in Afghanistan.
“To provide assistance to 15 million each month until March 2023 and to pre-position 150 metric tons of food in the rural areas before the paths are closed, we need $1.1 billion,” said a spokesperson for the WFP Afghanistan Wahidullah Amani, as TOLOnews quoted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy said that it has made plans to alleviate economic challenges in the country.
“There is a serious intention to root out poverty and to launch economic projects and to incentivize Afghan agriculture so Afghanistan will reach self-sufficiency,” said Abdul Lati Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
But a number of Kabul residents complained over the lack of transparency in international aids, doubting whether such support will reach to the rightful persons. “There are the economic problems, and high prices and also unemployment. I haven’t received any aid,” said Samsor, an Afghan local who is vending on street.
“We haven’t received the aid. We need aid but if the leaders pay attention to us,” said Bismillah, another Kabul resident.
Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US will provide an additional $327 million in aid to Afghanistan to shore up humanitarian assistance – an effort to respond to the needs of over half the population of the country.
“This assistance from the United States will continue to support the scaled-up humanitarian response in Afghanistan and neighboring countries through international humanitarian organizations,” Blinken said in a statement.
International humanitarian organizations includes the United Nations Population Fund, International Organization for Migration, and other implementing partners in the region.
Meanwhile, Blinken said the US will continue to support Afghan people through various aids to respond to their basic and humanitarian needs.
“Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan is enduring,” he added. “We provide assistance to people in need, regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, disability status, religion, or profession.”
The funding includes almost $119 million from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and nearly $208 million in assistance from the US Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the top diplomat said, as Tribune reported.
It will be used to provide cash aid, shelter, healthcare, and reintegration assistance for individuals either displaced internally in Afghanistan or those that fled the war-torn nation, according to the State Department.
Total US funding for Afghanistan now sits at $1.1 billion since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021.