Press Statement On The Anniversary Of The Taliban's Takeover Of Power In Afghanistan
Bonn/Berlin, 2022-08-12 On the anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan on 15th August 2022, Mathias Mogge, General Secretary of Welthungerhilfe says:
“The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened radically since the Taliban came to power, and hunger and poverty are increasing daily. More than half the population, around 23 million people, can no longer feed themselves, and 9 million people are suffering from acute hunger. Children in particular are suffering: According to UN estimates, more than 50% of children under 5 will be undernourished by the end of the year. These figures have increased by up to 30% since the takeover of power.
This is the first time in recent decades that so many Afghans have gone hungry. The education and health systems have also collapsed due to a lack of staff and medicine. Farming has suffered severely due to the destruction of infrastructure resulting from the war, and due to severe droughts since 2021, and the coming wheat harvest is predicted to shrink by 50-60%. The extensive economic sanctions have meant that Afghanistan is completely dependent on international assistance.
Welthungerhilfe has been providing assistance in the country constantly since 1980. This year alone, emergency assistance measures to a value of around 12 million euros have been carried out so far. This includes distribution of food, cash, and hygiene kits to families in need, with a special focus on support for women. The flight of highly skilled Afghans has meant that more than 90% of our staff are recent recruits, including qualified female staff.”
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Welthungerhilfe turns 60 this year. It is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, in 1962, 10,895 overseas projects in about 70 countries have been supported with 4.46 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe works on the principle of empowering people to help themselves: from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organisations.
