Sweden gives $2.2m in aid to Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Sweden’s International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has pledged 2.2 million US dollars in aid to support maternal and child nutrition in Afghanistan, says the World Food Programme (WFP).

WFP wrote on its X handle: “Thanks to a generous @Sida contribution of US$2.2M, WFP will support 125K+ Afghan mothers & children with life-saving nutrition for 3 months.”

It said with this contribution, WFP would provide over 550 metric tonnes of specialised nutritious food to 125,000 Afghan mothers and children for three months to prevent malnutrition.

“This year, in Afghanistan, 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are suffering from malnutrition while 3.5 million young children are expected to be malnourished, the sharpest surge in malnutrition ever recorded in the country,” said Mutinta Chimuka, WFP country director in Afghanistan.

“It is critical to support mothers and their young children to stay healthy and well-nourished, for their own futures and that of their families.”

Last year, WFP supported over 2.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and young children with specialised nutritious food to prevent them from falling into malnutrition.

Between 2021 and 2024, SIDA’s contributions exceeded US$30 million, ranking among WFP’s top ten donors in the country in 2025.

kk/mud