Preserving hope in Afghanistan
Protecting children in the world’s most lethal conflict, The levels of violence that children in Afghanistan are subjected to, day after day, is shocking. The fact that this has been going on for so many years is a terrible indictment of the parties involved. The international community cannot stand by and let this continue. This can and must never be the norm. An average of nine children were killed or…, A deadly place for children, Afghanistan. A boy plays at a former military barrack. A boy plays by a former military barracks in southern Afghanistan. Every day, an average of nine children are killed or injured in Afghanistan, a country that has become the world’s most lethal war zone after forty years of conflict and turmoil. Between 2009 and 2018, armed conflict killed…, A place to learn even amid violence, Afghanistan. A boy studies in a classroom. A boy studies in a classroom at an orphanage in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Around 3.7 million school-age children are out of school, equaling 43 per cent of the primary-aged population, with those living in rural areas especially affected. Girls at all ages are less likely to attend school than boys. Some…, Polio’s front line, A child receives a vaccination against polio in a suburb of Kabul. A child receives a vaccination against polio in a suburb of Kabul. As one of three countries where the wild poliovirus is still found, Afghanistan is critical to the global struggle to eradicate the disease. After years of hard effort, 96 per cent of Afghanistan is polio-free.…, A sustainable answer to growing water needs, Afghanistan. Children collect water. Children collect water in the Argo district of Badakhshan Province, in northeastern Afghanistan. Afghanistan is becoming one of the world's most water-stressed nations. With the population growing, the needs are growing daily. At least 35 per cent of the population lack access to clean water. The lack of proper…, Malnutrition: A long-term crisis, Afghanistan. A child is screened for malnutrition. A baby is screened for malnutrition at a hospital in the Kishim district of Badakhshan Province in northeastern Afghanistan. Altogether, around 600,000 Afghan children under the age of five are affected by severe acute malnutrition (SAM), the extreme form of the condition which can kill a child.…, How UNICEF is helping, Afghanistan. UNICEF Afghanistan staff distribute new school bags and notebooks. UNICEF Afghanistan staff distribute new school bags and notebooks as the school year begins in Surkhrod district in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. For more than 65 years, UNICEF and its national and international partners have responded to the needs of Afghan…, A call to action, As long as the conflict in Afghanistan continues, the parties involved must protect children and safeguard their rights to education, health, water, sanitation, hygiene and other services. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
