Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis: UNFPA's Response to Women's and Girls' Needs Amidst Funding Cuts

Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan

• ⚠️ Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the return of tens of thousands of Afghans from neighboring countries, including deportations.
• 🌍 The situation is compounded by rising unemployment, natural disasters, and extreme weather incidents, creating immense challenges for the population.

Impact of Funding Cuts on UNFPA Services

• 💔 The US Government's abrupt halt of over $100 million in funding to UNFPA has severely impacted life-saving services.
• 📉 These cuts mean 6.3 million people, predominantly women and girls, are losing access to essential health and psychosocial support.
• 🏥 UNFPA will be forced to reduce its supported facilities by over half, from 982 to 418, leading to the closure of hundreds of health centers and mobile clinics.

UNFPA's Work on the Ground

• 🏥 UNFPA provides critical maternal and reproductive health services, including 24/7 emergency maternity care at facilities like the one in Torkham.
• 🏠 Family Health Houses, a flagship initiative, offer community-based services in remote areas, supported by local health action groups and community leaders.
• 👩‍⚕️ UNFPA trains local midwives, like one in Bamyan Province, who return to serve their communities, enabling safe deliveries and community outreach.
• 📚 Youth education classes provide crucial psychosocial counseling and health education, including menstrual health, to adolescent girls.

Devastating Consequences for Women and Girls

• 😔 Young girls are frequently seen seeking support due to depression, denied education and career opportunities, and often forced into early marriage and motherhood.
• 🚶‍♀️ Women and girls face severe restrictions on movement, employment, and education, with many unable to travel without male accompaniment.
• 💔 Fistula surgery support in Kabul helps women and girls who have endured unimaginable trauma, often traveling for days in harrowing conditions.
• 😔 The speaker highlighted the story of a 10-year-old mother and a teenage mother who suffered fistula, facing social isolation and shunning.

Urgent Need for Support

• 🆘 Funding cuts will result in lives lost and lives less lived, with a third of global cuts impacting Afghanistan.
• 📢 UNFPA remains committed to delivering services but requires urgent support to sustain its response and protect the dignity, health, and lives of Afghan women and newborns.
• 🗣️ The message from Afghanistan is that there are no birth plans, only survival plans, demanding immediate action.