As hunger spreads in Afghanistan, health clinics are filling up with malnourished children under 5 with symptoms such as pneumonia, acute diarrhea, and emaciation. For parents, hunger is also at the root of desperate decisions. “I have been heartbroken to see that families are willing to sell their children to feed other family members,” said Asuntha Charles, World Vision’s National Director in Afghanistan. “Day by day, the situation is deteriorating in this country, and it is especially children who are suffering,” she added.

After the country’s transition of power in 2021, food prices increased 30% — meaning many families could not afford food with their wages. Now, with wheat supply disruptions from the Ukraine–Russia region, Afghanistan is experiencing cascading effects of the war. The country typically imports wheat from Kazakhstan, but with limited global supply the market price has increased, making it even harder for people to access needed food. And this is all on top of drought that has triggered displacement and a declining economy.