INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The European Union has contributed 500,000 euros to support the food needs of communities in the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost which
were affected by an earthquake in late June, The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.The funds will help WFP
deliver emergency food assistance to more than 170,000 earthquake-affected people over six monthsThe majority of the people of Afghanistan
are reeling from the effects of the ongoing economic crisis and cannot absorb any exacerbating shocks, including the earthquake that has hit
these provinces,& said Marianna Franco, who oversees EU humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan
&We are stepping up our support to ensure WFP has dedicated funding for this environmental disaster that comes as an emergency on top of an
emergency.The 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on 22 June 2022 & the strongest the country has known in over 20
years & further devastated families already struggling to meet their basic needs during a time of acute economic and political upheaval
More than two months later, families are still living in emergency shelters as their destroyed homes are structurally unsafe, and
communities still rely largely on humanitarian assistance for survival, WFP said.WFP was on the ground immediately to assess the damage and
respond,& said WFP Afghanistan&s Country Director Mary-Ellen McGroarty
&Through heavy rain and winds and poor internet connectivity, WFP and our partners have been working to reach those affected with food and
supplies, but the communities in these provinces will need our support for several months as they rebuild
We are thankful to the EU for being one of the first donors to contribute towards this urgent need, which enabled our swift deployment of
food and logistics equipment.The new funding will help boost WFP&s ability to replenish its food supplies over several months and to
transition from distributing emergency High-Energy Biscuits (HEB) to full food baskets of wheat flour, vegetable oil, pulses and salt in the
districts of Giyan and Bamal in Paktika Province, and Spera in Khost Province.One year into an economic collapse, humanitarian needs in
Afghanistan are at an all-time high, further strained by soaring global food and energy prices due to the conflict in Ukraine
Hunger is cutting across socioeconomic divides, with 18.9 million people experiencing acute levels of food insecurity and 6 million one step
away from famine, WFP noted.The EU&s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department has been a long-time donor for WFP Afghanistan, having
contributed over EUR 75.5 million since 2021 towards WFP&s emergency assistance to people affected by conflict and natural hazards in the
country.The post EU provides 500,000 euros for Afghan earthquake relief efforts first appeared on Ariana News.
