Sohaila, a widow with six children, has been unable to feed her family due to a massive funding shortfall from the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The 10 million people who have stopped receiving emergency food assistance have been unable to work and feed their families. Sohaila uses a sleep medicine to calm her baby, which is a common antihistamine or anti-allergy drug. However, doctors warn that higher doses can cause respiratory distress. Sohaila’s husband was killed in a crossfire in Panjshir province in 2022, and she relied heavily on the aid provided by the WFP. Now, the WFP only provides supplies to three million people, less than a quarter of those experiencing acute hunger. Sohaila is reliant on donations from relatives or neighbors.
A woman has been forced to send her 12-year-old son to work due to the Taliban’s takeover. The economy spiraled after foreign money was stopped in August 2021, causing millions to rely on dry food and water. Aid agencies provided a temporary bridge, but much of this funding has gone.