The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that France has contributed 3 million euros (approximately 3.3 million dollars) to support its programs in Afghanistan.
WFP officials in Afghanistan have stated that this aid package will be spent on supporting students, pregnant women, and children.
Ziauddin Safi, WFP’s communications officer, told TOLOnews: “The World Food Program is grateful to receive 3 million euros from the French government for school feeding programs and malnutrition prevention services in Afghanistan. With this funding, WFP will be able to provide special nutritious food to prevent malnutrition for 70,000 pregnant and nursing mothers and children and distribute fortified biscuits and vegetable oil to over 50,000 students in schools.”
“Most foreign aid, due to our necessities, was allocated to the consumption sector. If it had been spent on development projects, better management of these projects could have increased employment, which would genuinely define welfare,” stated Abdul Zahoor Madbar, an economic expert.
The Ministry of Economy stated that there is a need for more international aid to focus on infrastructure projects.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy said: “While we thank the international community for its aid, we request that they direct their assistance towards infrastructure so that our country can gradually move toward self-sufficiency and sustainable economic development.”
Rashid, a resident of Kabul, said: “Our demand from the government is for prices to decrease now. Everything is costly. Wood and coal are expensive. What we earn doesn’t suffice for us.”
Lutfullah, another Kabul resident, said: “There is no work. Our request from the government is to lower the prices so that we can afford to buy wood and coal for winter.”
According to United Nations statistics, over 24 million people in Afghanistan will need humanitarian assistance this year. At the beginning of the year, the UN requested more than three billion dollars for Afghanistan, but only a small portion of that budget has been received so far.
