Severe winter affects nearly 100,000 children in quake-hit Afghanistan

The United Nations has appealed for increased humanitarian aid to assist tens of thousands of children in western Afghanistan who are suffering in life-threatening winter conditions following a string of devastating earthquakes last October.

Report:

The warning from UNICEF comes 100 days after a series of earthquakes hit the western Herat region of Afghanistan, causing significant devastation.

The disasters resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people, mainly women and children, and the destruction of 21,000 homes.

Many families are still living in tents or exposed to the cold weather, and the ongoing harsh winter is posing a threat to lives and hindering reconstruction efforts.

Children are particularly affected, with damaged schools and health centers leaving them without essential services.

The situation is exacerbated by the freezing temperatures, leaving families without proper shelter in life-threatening conditions.

UNICEF has been providing aid, including converting tented health facilities into more permanent structures and distributing clean water and cash assistance to thousands of affected people.

Despite these efforts, thousands of children still require assistance, and UNICEF is concerned about the survival of 96,000 affected children if adequate services are not provided.

The UN estimates that around 23 million people, half of whom are children, require humanitarian aid in Afghanistan due to the ongoing conflict, extreme climate shocks, and economic decline.

The return of the Taliban to power has led to the suspension of development aid and restrictions on women’s access to education and work.