France commits €3 million to WFP's efforts to improve nutrition among Afghan mothers and children

Over 15,000 Afghan primary school girls and boys will receive a healthy daily school snack, and more than 35,000 will get monthly take-home rations of vegetable oil to improve the nutrition of an entire family. Additionally, nearly 60,000 young children and more than 10,000 pregnant or breastfeeding mothers will receive specialised nutritious food.

"More than three-quarters of all families in Afghanistan cannot afford a nutritious diet that would keep them from falling into malnutrition," said Salina Grenet-Catalano, Director of global affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. "France prioritises the fight against malnutrition as it prepares to host the next Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris in March 2025. We remain committed to standing by the people of Afghanistan, offering support where needed most.

Due to a funding crisis this year, WFP could not provide 2 million women and children with food to prevent malnutrition. Last year, funding shortages forced WFP to withdraw 10 million people from food assistance, leading to increased malnutrition rates and placing entire provinces at risk of falling back into emergency levels of malnutrition.

"This contribution comes at a critical moment for Afghan mothers and children who are hardest hit by the hunger crisis," said Harald Mannhardt, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan. "Afghanistan is a global hunger hotspot with more than a quarter of the population going hungry and nine out of ten women-headed families cannot afford enough food."

WFP partners with more than 2,400 health clinics nationwide to deliver nutrition services to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their children under five to prevent or treat malnutrition. Further, to prevent malnutrition in some of the most food-insecure families, WFP also distributes specialized nutritious food to families with mothers and children through its emergency food distributions.

This latest contribution of EUR 3 million (US$3.3 million) from the Government of France brings their contribution to EUR 6 million (US$6.5 million) in 2024. Building on the last two years' contributions of almost US$16 million, France remains among the top ten contributors to WFP in Afghanistan.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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