Tullamore UNICEF specialist appeals for support for children in Afghanistan

Amid fears that 1 million children in Afghanistan are at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition, a UNICEF Ireland specialist living in Offaly is calling on people from across the county to help provide life-saving support to children.

Tullamore resident and UNICEF Ireland Pledge Manager Justin Killeen said: “Right now at UNICEF Ireland we are desperately concerned about the children of Afghanistan. Even before the recent escalation in conflict, Afghanistan was already one of the toughest places on earth to be a child. Now we are seeing estimates that 1 million children are at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition, unless they get urgent access to life-saving support”.

UNICEF is warning that across the country, 10 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance to survive. Over the past year, the situation has become even more desperate. Conflict, drought, and COVID-19 have collided to create an unprecedented humanitarian emergency.

“For us, now is not the time to abandon the children of Afghanistan. In the past few weeks, the war has entered a new, deadlier and more destructive phase. To compound this, winter is on the horizon and we know children are at most risk from harsh winter conditions.

"For UNICEF, our absolute priority is to make sure we are there for children and I know our teams are determined to stay and deliver. We have 13 offices across Afghanistan and we are scaling up our lifesaving programmes for children and women – including through the delivery of health, nutrition and safe water to displaced families,” said Justin.

UNICEF said immediate action is needed to protect the estimated 1 million children who are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the course of this year and could die.

Additionally, an estimated 4.2 million children are already out of school, including 2.6 million girls. Internal displacement has sharply risen with more than 550,000 people currently displaced due to conflict; the majority of that displacement has happened in recent weeks.

It is anticipated that the humanitarian needs of children and women will only increase over the coming months, and Justin is calling on the Irish public, and especially people in Offaly, to support UNICEF’s work at this vital time.

“We are always incredibly inspired by how people in Ireland respond when children and families experience a crisis like this. I think everyone has been moved by the scenes we have recently witnessed from Afghanistan, and for me as an Offaly resident, it is especially great when you see donations come in from people in your town or area.

"My work here in Ireland is to raise awareness and help people understand the difference they can make, with a donation of any size. I know our teams on the ground are incredibly thankful for every contribution, and we hope people in Ireland will continue to support our urgent life-saving work,” Justin, who lives in Tullamore concluded.

More information on UNICEF’s emergency Afghanistan appeal can be found at www.unicef.ie