The World Food Programme has recently published statistics showing that currently, three million children in Afghanistan are suffering from malnutrition.

On Friday, May 10, the organization announced on its social platform X that the World Food Programme can only support one of every three children.

The World Food Programme has emphasized that the reduction in aid in Afghanistan directly affects the children there. The organization adds that addressing their situation requires sustainable financing.

Previously, the health section of the United Nations had reported that the number of women suffering from malnutrition in Afghanistan last year reached 1.2 million.

Mona Sheikh, the head of nutrition at the World Food Programme, had earlier stated that the number of women suffering from malnutrition is expected to increase this year. She also mentioned that the number of children suffering from malnutrition in the country this year will reach 3 million, but only 1.6 million will receive assistance.

While the World Food Programme has released these statistics, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says that 23.7 million people will need immediate humanitarian aid in 2024.

The agency announced that despite the reduction in conflicts, the people of Afghanistan still have a serious need for humanitarian aid. The agency’s statement mentions that out of the 23.7 million people who need humanitarian assistance, 5.9 million are women, and 5.4 million are men.

The lives of many people in Afghanistan are shaped by layers of poverty, poverty that, in different periods, has either caused deprivation or led to severe social insecurity. In this report, you read about the life of an elderly man who has parked his taxi in a corner of the bustling city of Kabul, and beside it, a loaf of flatbread from a clay oven is visible, which he says he uses to get through the day.

It seems that no one has listened to his words for a long time, and he hasn’t had an opportunity to share his complaints with anyone candidly. Habibullah, who is 60, has been driving in Kabul, Afghanistan’s busiest and most chaotic city, for about 30 years.

Habibullah says, “I work as much as I can until my body and nerves tire from the exhaustion and the noise of cars and roadblocks.” Before becoming a driver, he tried other jobs but believed that in “this country,” no job yields results: “We tried everything, from manual labour to farming, apprenticeship, and street vending, but nothing worked until I sold my ancestral land and bought a vehicle.”

The trial and error phase in this elderly man’s life has been so prolonged that it’s easy to conclude that no suitable jobs offer satisfying income. This compels Habibullah to drive in the city, even “these days when people have become very impoverished.”

He adds that currently, many people use bicycles out of necessity and poverty, covering long distances with them.

Citizens who cover long distances in Kabul by bicycle agree with Habibullah. Hamed, a 40-year-old man who cycles daily between Darul Aman and the Sarsabzi intersection, told Khaama Press, “I earn six thousand salary, and if I spend it on taxi fares, nothing will be left for me.”

Habibullah says he earns 200 Afghanis some days and 400 Afghanis on others, but a significant portion of this money again goes towards vehicle taxes. He likens his taxi-driving job to a bird endlessly wandering an unknown path.

He has parked his vehicle in a corner and is talking about his health issues. Diabetes and heart problems are among Habibullah’s health concerns. Beside him is a pot of tea and a piece of flatbread, part of which he eats in the morning and the rest around 12:00 PM if he gets the chance.

He says he currently has a debt of 25,000. To change the color of his taxi from the previous color to blue, he borrowed money and has not been able to pay it back yet.