The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Three weeks after a devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, children remain among the hardest hit, the U.N. children’s agency said, warning that thousands face urgent needs as winter approaches.
UNICEF said more than half of those killed in the Aug. 31
quake were children. The disaster damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and
left more than half a million people affected, according to the agency.
Behind the numbers, UNICEF said, are children “left standing
alone in the rubble and families torn apart in the blink of an eye.”
Despite difficult access to remote mountain districts,
UNICEF said it has mobilized teams and supplies to deliver life-saving
assistance. Its work with local and U.N. partners includes emergency health
care, trauma treatment, maternal and newborn services, and distribution of
essential medicines.
Teams are also screening and treating children for acute
malnutrition, restoring water systems and sanitation, and establishing
child-friendly spaces with female counselors to provide psychosocial support
for women and girls. Vulnerable families are receiving cash assistance to help
cover immediate needs.
Afghanistan’s children were already enduring one of the
world’s toughest humanitarian crises, UNICEF said, but the earthquake has
stripped away homes, safety and loved ones.
The agency has launched a $22 million appeal to reach
400,000 people over the next six months, including more than 212,000 children.
“With sufficient support, we can save lives, protect children, and help
families begin to recover with dignity,” UNICEF said.
