INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The European Union has provided 13 million euros for malnutrition treatment and community-based education in Afghanistan, the United
Nations& children agency (UNICEF) announced Sunday.Over 78,000 children in Afghanistan will benefit from additional funding for nutrition
and Education in Emergencies from the European Union&s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), UNICEF said in a
statement.With this €13 million contribution, UNICEF will procure 62,000 cartons of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and train 1,600
health workers to treat severe acute malnutrition among children under five
Additionally, UNICEF will improve the quality of learning in 275 community-based education classes to enable 9,500 children (61 per cent
girls) to access primary education.In Afghanistan, 23.7 million people & over half of them children & require humanitarian assistance this
In 2024, nearly 2.9 million children are expected to face acute malnutrition
More than 850,000 of them will need treatment for severe acute malnutrition & a life-threatening condition, UNICEF said.Education in
Afghanistan also remains in crisis
According to the 2023 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, more than half of children do not attend primary school.&The malnutrition rates in
Afghanistan & especially amongst children & show that Afghanistan is facing an emergency. The EU will continue to work with longstanding
humanitarian partners like UNICEF to provide urgently needed support, including nutrition and education in emergencies. Even amidst one of
the worst humanitarian crises in the world, children have the right to quality education that will help them build a better future,& said
François Goemans, Head of EU humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.The two-year intervention will target about 69,000 children under the age of
five for malnutrition treatment across 27 provinces of Afghanistan
It will help nearly 9,500 children and adolescents in four provinces continue their education through community-based learning, developing
foundational skills, including social and emotional competencies for positive psychological development
The project will also enable emergency teaching and learning supplies to be delivered to children in need across all 34 provinces.&We
appreciate the continued partnership with EU humanitarian aid, which will help us get RUTF into some of the nutrition treatment facilities
where children are most in need and train the frontline health workers administering this treatment in communities,& said Dr
Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan
&This funding will also enable children to continue attending community-based education classes and provide the materials students and
educators need for a successful classroom.&In the past four years, EU humanitarian aid has allowed UNICEF to provide safe water systems,
community-based education, life-saving child protection and health services, emergency cash transfers, and malnutrition treatment for
children.The post EU provides 13 million euros for malnutrition treatment and education in Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
