Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) Eases the Malnutrition that 3.5 million Afghan Children Face

In Afghanistan, a significant portion of the population, particularly in underserved communities, faces severe food insecurity. Millions of Afghans are projected to experience crisis or worse levels of food insecurity in 2025, requiring urgent humanitarian support.

As Afghanistan enters the 2024–2025 lean season, an estimated 14.8 million people, nearly one in every three Afghans, are facing acute food insecurity. In late 2024 alone, approximately 11.6 million people endured severe hunger, with around 1.8 million in IPC Phase 4, classified as Emergency.

Children and mothers are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Between June 2024 and May 2025, an estimated 3.5 million children under five and 1.15 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition. Chronic malnutrition remains widespread: about 41% of children under five are stunted, and nearly 9.5% suffer from wasting. Health clinics across the country are also reporting alarming rises in anemia, low birth weight, and other hunger-related illnesses among both children and mothers.

The hunger crisis is being driven by a devastating combination of climate shocks, economic collapse, and aid disruption. Recurring droughts and flash floods, marked by increasingly unpredictable wet and dry seasons, are making it harder for communities to recover and grow food. The economic fallout in 2021 has included widespread job losses, skyrocketing inflation, and deepening poverty. On top of that, major cuts to U.S. and international food aid have left millions, especially women and children, without the support they need to survive.

Life for Relief and Development extended a helping hand to struggling families in some of Afghanistan’s most remote areas, reminding them that they are not alone and certainly not forgotten.

Through its Ramadan Food Basket Program, LIFE distributed 70 food baskets packed with essential items to help carry families through the month. Each basket included flour, chickpeas, macaroni, cooking oil, dates, sugar, green tea, onions, potatoes, and bottled drinking water, providing enough to offer comfort, nourishment, and dignity during a time of both spiritual reflection and worship.

In addition to the food baskets, LIFE hosted an Iftar program providing fresh, nourishing meals to 400 men and women. As is customary in the area, women are generally excluded from such Iftars, so special care was taken to ensure the women could take their Iftar to enjoy in the privacy of their homes.

A mother shared what the support meant to her and others in her community, “When you step into the home of someone who is grieving and hungry you’re not just bringing food. You’re bringing humanity.”

Without food assistance, mortality, especially among children and mothers, is expected to rise sharply. Aid enables families to survive in the present and recover later by helping them maintain their health and productivity. Food aid offers more than calories. It provides a foundation for hope, health, and stability. Thank you to all of the donors who made this project a possibility.

Photo of Life for Relief and Development USA (LIFE) team members shaking the hand of an older gentleman who received a LIFE food bracket.