ISLAMABAD: Three months after earthquakes ravaged Afghanistan’s west, the U.N. children’s agency announced on Monday that almost 100,000 children in that nation are in critical need of assistance.
The province of Herat was rocked by an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on October 7. A few days later, on October 11, another powerful earthquake slammed the same province, killing over 1,000 people. According to a UNICEF statement, 21,000 homes were demolished and women and children made up the majority of those killed in the quakes that struck the Zinda Jan and Injil regions.
“The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything,” said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan.
Children are still attempting to deal with the stress and loss. Children rely on schools and health facilities, which are either totally destroyed or irreparably ruined,” he continued.
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Equiza remarked, “As if this wasn’t enough, winter has arrived and the temps are hovering below freezing.” “Families and children without homes are forced to live in dangerous circumstances at night and are unable to heat their makeshift shelters.”
UNICEF stated it urgently needs $1.4 billion in 2024 to satisfy the humanitarian and basic requirements of 19.4 million Afghans, half of the population.
The Taliban’s unwillingness to invest in public services has contributed to the deterioration of basic amenities, hampering the ability of vulnerable people to recover from shocks and build resilience, the agency stated..
