Afghanistan in crisis: Drought, malnutrition and a deteriorating humanitarian situation

Aid agencies are doing what they can to help, including by identifying dangerously malnourished children in sparsely populated “ghost villages,” where those who can leave their homes can do so, said Olga Cherevko of the UN aid coordination office. Ocha.

But with nearly 22 million people in need across Afghanistan and America The UN’s $1.7 billion appeal is only 14 percent fundedlife “becomes impossible” in remote areas, the agency warned.

Survival strategy

Water scarcity is the main cause of strife experienced by villagers in Bamiyan province, far from Afghanistan’s big cities.

“Certain villages I visited, they told me that about half the population has leftactually, because there is there is no water to irrigate the landso that all the crops they planted dried up,” said Cherevko UN News. “People who can leave, they leave.”

Those who stay often do so because they have no choice; they couldn’t afford to leave.

Ms. Cherevko provides a striking example: “One of the men I met had a family of nine. He showed me what they had for lunch. It was basically a bowl of rotten potato skins, cooked into soup just to survive.”

3.7 million children face acute malnutrition by 2026

Currently, an estimated 3.7 million children in Afghanistan suffer from acute malnutrition. Many cases are unknown and occur in several UN-supported clinics.”children died because their parents didn’t know what was happening; by the time they brought the child in, it was too late,” Ms. Cherevko explained.

The UN is addressing this critical problem by providing medical screening and support, but also by visiting remote communities and raising awareness.

The suffering of forced returnees

These institutions also provide basic assistance and daily registration to thousands of people who are often forcibly returned to their neighboring countries.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCRaround 8,000 people returned to Afghanistan in the week to June 20, 2026.

Most of those returning never lived in Afghanistan and did not choose to return. Their biggest worry is survival in a country where opportunities are limited.

“Once the buses drop them off in the cities, many have nowhere to go,” explained Ms. Cherevko. Some attempted to return to their home countries, but were deported again. Despite this, many continue to try to leave Afghanistan, driven by desperation and a lack of alternatives.

An alarming situation for women and girls

Recalling Bamiyan province still fresh in her mind, Ms. Cherevko highlighted a recurring message from the Afghan women she visited: when opportunities for women are limited, entire households suffer. Education restrictions for girls imposed by the Taliban mean they are unable to find work in the future. “All the women I talk to do that very worried about their daughterwho can no longer go to school and may not have a future,” said the OCHA worker.

These restrictions in turn affect the work of the UN and other essential services.

For example, the shortage of female professionals, especially doctors, is critical. Today, when a female doctor leaves her position, it is often nearly impossible to replace her. This has drastically limited women and girls’ access to life-saving health services, including maternal and newborn services, as well as services for malnutrition and education.

From January to April 2026, aid partners reached 5.9 million people in Afghanistan with at least one form of assistance. Of this number, 3.5 million people receive food assistance, underscoring the scale of acute food insecurity and the many other needs of millions of people “who require recurring and complementary support throughout the year to ensure their needs are adequately met”, OCHA said.