Afghanistan Faces Unprecedented Child Malnutrition Crisis

DID Press: Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented malnutrition crisis, with a sharp rise in the number of children admitted to treatment centers in recent months, the aid organization Action Against Hunger has warned.

In Kabul alone, admissions to a therapeutic feeding unit (TFU) rose by 149% in June 2026 compared with the same month a year earlier. The organization said children are often discharged from treatment centers only to return to homes that cannot provide enough nutritious food for their recovery and development.

The TFU in Kabul recorded 142 new cases in June, representing a 149% increase from the previous year. In Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, the number of treatment beds was increased from 45 to 118 within a matter of weeks.

Many children return to treatment centers because their families lack access to sufficient and nutritious food. The organization cited the case of a five-month-old child in Ghor province who had been hospitalized for malnutrition for the third time.

Recurring droughts, water shortages, declining agricultural production and widespread poverty are among the main drivers of the crisis, Action Against Hunger said.The organization also warned that chronic funding shortages are threatening the continuation of vital aid and limiting efforts to prevent malnutrition before children require hospitalization.

It said the crisis cannot be addressed through clinical treatment alone and requires an integrated approach combining nutrition services, food security and livelihood support to break the cycle of poverty and prevent children from falling back into critical conditions.