The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it supported 18,000 community-based education (CBE) classes in Afghanistan in 2024, providing learning opportunities for children in areas where public schools are either too distant or overcrowded.
“In 2024, UNICEF Afghanistan supported 18,000 CBE classes, giving girls and boys a chance to learn where public schools are too far or too full,” the organization said in a statement.
The announcement comes as UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, Tajudeen Oyewale, met with China’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing, to discuss potential partnerships to support vulnerable children, including initiatives focused on water, hygiene, and sanitation.
According to the United Nations, nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, U.S. foreign aid policy has come under renewed scrutiny. An executive order issued by former President Donald Trump suspending all foreign aid had sparked concerns from the U.N., which warned of significant disruptions to global humanitarian operations, including those in Afghanistan. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later announced that he had signed a waiver allowing certain aid programs to continue.
