In response to alarming rates of child food poverty, UNICEF and the United Kingdom have launched a new nationwide initiative aimed at transforming Afghanistan’s food and nutrition systems for young children, according to a statement by UK’s mission to Afghanistan.
The program, called First Foods Afghanistan, is a multisectoral initiative backed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It aims to address child malnutrition through locally led, sustainable approaches—focusing on improving diets for children under two.
“This is a crisis of silent suffering,” said Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan. “Children in Afghanistan are not just malnourished—they are chronically deprived of the most basic building blocks of growth and development.”
According to UNICEF’s 2025 Child Food Poverty Report, 90 percent of children under five in Afghanistan live in food poverty, with over half experiencing severe food poverty. More than 3.5 million children suffer from wasting, and 1.4 million are at heightened risk of mortality. Afghanistan now ranks fourth globally for severe child food poverty.
The initiative will target 1.7 million children across all 34 provinces, promoting homegrown food solutions, local food production, and the household preparation of affordable, nutritious meals. It will also support local manufacturing of fortified foods for prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
“Afghanistan must now grow nutrition—not just food,” said Dr. Oyewale. “This integrated approach is the only sustainable path to breaking the cycle of malnutrition and poverty.”
Robert Chatterton Dickson, the UK’s chargé d’affaires to Afghanistan, emphasized the initiative’s long-term goals. “Helping Afghan children to have a better start in life, this initiative focuses on tackling some of the root causes of malnutrition,” he said.
The program will work across sectors including health, education, water and sanitation, and social protection, while engaging communities, youth, and local entrepreneurs. Organizers have called on additional donors, international institutions, and private sector partners to join in scaling the effort.
“Every Afghan child deserves a nutritious diet to support their healthy growth and development,” Dickson added. “We are proud to partner with UNICEF and invite others to join this critical initiative.”
