Situation analysis

Good nutrition is a cornerstone of well-being, particularly in the first 24 months of life. It provides a key foundation for maximizing human potential and national development. Every partner including National and International, intergovernmental, and governmental bodies designs strategies, policies, programs, and systems that address nutrition emergencies and create sustainable change.

One of the underlying causes of Malnutrition is the presence of inadequate amounts of vitamins or minerals in the human body. This inadequate amount of micro-nutrients or vitamins is called under-nutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight). Apart from that, the amounts could be above the required volume and this causes overweight, and obesity, and results in diet-related no communicable diseases. Inadequacies in the intake of vitamins and minerals often referred to as micronutrients, can also be grouped together.

Micronutrients enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances that are essential for proper growth and development. Iodine, vitamin A, and iron are the most important in global public health terms; their deficiency represents a major threat to the health and development of populations worldwide, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries.

Globally in 2020, 149 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), 45 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height), and 38.9 million were overweight or obese. Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition. These mostly occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Women, infants, children, and adolescents are at the particular risk of malnutrition. optimizing nutrition early in life—including the 1000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday—ensures the best possible start in life, with long-term benefits. Poverty amplifies the risk of and risks from, malnutrition. People who are poor are more likely to be affected by different forms of malnutrition. Also, malnutrition increases health care costs, reduces productivity, and slows economic growth, which can perpetuate a cycle of poverty and ill-health.

Afghanistan has high rates of both chronic and acute malnutrition. Nutrition reports state that stunting among preschool children 6-59 months has reached the alert stage, indicating that immediate intervention is required. Consistent with global experience, the groups most vulnerable to malnutrition are children under 5 years old, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly. Over half (54%) of preschool-age children are stunted and 39% are underweight. These high rates of malnutrition are associated with risks: (1) reduced resistance to diseases, (2) increased mortality, (3) decreased cognitive abilities; and (4) reduced physical activity. (UNICEF,2019)

in Afghanistan children, 6-24 months old have the highest prevalence of anemia, 50%. The prevalence of anemia among preschool-age and non-pregnant women is 38% and 25%, respectively, which is indicative of a moderate public health problem (MoPH, AL, 2020).  According to the Dr. Alakbarov 15 march report, Acute malnutrition rates in 28 out of 34 provinces are high with more than 3.5 million children in need of nutrition treatment support. He explained that since mid-August, over 2,500 nutrition treatment sites across all 34 provinces, both urban and rural, have been serving 800,000 acutely malnourished children, “and we plan to reach 3.2 million affected children this year.