Sam Mort, communications chief for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan, said 13 million children in Afghanistan are in dire need of international assistance.
“Afghanistan is a tough place to be a child, there are huge challenges right now in being a child. There are 13 million in need of humanitarian aid, there are 4 million out of school. We know that 8 out of 10 people in Afghanistan are drinking water that is infected with bacteria. We need to do better for the children of Afghanistan,” she said.
Sam Mort called on donors to provide $2 billion as soon as possible to provide educational and health services for Afghan children.
“The needs are enormous–in support of that UNICEF Afghanistan launched the largest single country appeal ever in UNICEF’s 75 year history, for two billion dollars to support the children and families of Afghanistan. At the moment it is only 15 percent funded, so we are urgently asking our donors for more funding,” Mort said.
Zainab and Ahmad, a brother and sister, are worried about the times when they must leave school and be the breadwinners for their family of ten. Ahmad hopes to become a doctor in the future to treat people–like his mother who is hospitalized–for free.
“I do not have the money to buy pen and a notebook to go to school, I work to find bread for my family. My father has a disability and cannot work,” said Ahmad, a child laborer.
“Some nights we sleep hungry, we do not have anything to eat,” said Zainab, a child laborer.
Children’s rights institutions are concerned about the challenges faced by Afghan children, which, according to UNICEF, have risen to unprecedented levels due to the recent developments in the country and the economic crisis in Afghanistan.
