More than 3,00,000 children in war-ravaged Afghanistan face freezing winter conditions that can lead to illness and death without proper winter clothing and heating, a humanitarian organisation said on Thursday.
The ongoing military conflict in Afghanistan has destroyed many homes and forced thousands of children to shelter in camps for the homeless. There they are at risk of not only hunger and disease, including COVID-19, but also death from freezing temperatures.
Chris Nyamandi, Afghanistan country director for Save the Children, said in a statement Thursday that early snow in northern Afghanistan has impacted children particularly badly.
“The most vulnerable children are those whose schools have shut because of the worsening winter conditions,” he said.
“Their families dont have the money to buy winter clothing. Instead children are forced to huddle at home to escape the bitter cold.”
Schools are closed until March in the coldest parts of Afghanistan, where the temperature can plummet to as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit).
Save the Children has provided winter kits to more than 100,000 families in 12 of Afghanistans 34 provinces. The kits include fuel and a heater, blankets and winter clothes for children including coats, socks, shoes, hats.
“The situation is bleak for children forced to live in camps in places like Balkh province. It is already very cold in this northern province with overnight temperatures as low as minus ten. But it will get much colder before March,” Nyamandi said.