UN offers fresh fund for Afghans affected by drought

The Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) has allocated $17 million to Afghans affected by drought, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday.

"The Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) has allocated $17 million to non-governmental organisations and UN agencies delivering life-saving aid to families affected by the drought that has gripped large parts of Afghanistan," the office said in a press release, Xinhua news agency reported.

Established in 2014, the CHF-Afghanistan is one of OCHA's Country Based Pooled Funds for swift and strategic humanitarian action in the country.

"Now is the time to help. Without quick action the number of families and the gravity of suffering will grow exponentially," Toby Lanzer, humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, was quoted in the press release as saying.

"The drought afflicts some 2 million people across the north and west of the country where the latest harvest was lost and tens of thousands of families urgently need help," he said.

The emergency assistance will include cash for families to buy food on local markets; trucking of drinking water to villages and schools where fountains have dried up; and treatment of malnourished children.

In support of Afghanistan, the UN revised its Humanitarian Response Plan calling for an additional $117 million in 2018.

--IANS

ahm/