Why Afghanistan?

Due to endless war, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world

Afghanistan is an inland country in Central Asia surrounded by China, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. It is one of the poorest countries in the world with no end to suffering in sight. In the past, Afghanistan was part of the “Silk Road” connecting East and West. But its geography situated it in a strategic area for the neighboring countries, spurring its invasion and domination by Russian, British and American powers. However, foreign forces could never regional stability. Afghanistan gained its independence from Britain in 1919. From the late 1970s until now more than 40 years of civil war ravaged the land. From the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the US-led war in 2001 that ousted the Taliban the land has been ceaselessly wracked with violence.

Barren land & environment

Although Afghanistan is the 41st largest country in the world, much of the land is made up of mountainous terrain with an extremely dry atmosphere. It is also suffers as a nation of constant water shortages. With its barren land formation, with some variation from region to region, the average temperature is below 5 degrees in the winter and over 95 degrees in the summer. The land is also an earthquake risk.

Sufferings of women and children

Endless war and civil strife pushed husbands and fathers to war, leaving women and children, with no means of economic support. Because married women in Afghanistan remain largely restricted from showing their faces in public, it has been virtually impossible for widows to engage in commerce. A vicious cycle of poverty ensues. With no income, basic food cannot be acquired and women and children continue to suffer from malnutrition.

Why should we help Afghanistan?

• Afghanistan has one of the highest global maternal mortality rates in the world.
• One in 50 mothers die in childbirth due to malnutrition
• One in ten children die from malnutrition before they reach the age of 1
• Afghanistan’s mortality rate for children under five is 20%. This means one in five children die from malnutrition before the age of five
• 60% of children suffer from growth retardation

It is not because Afghanistan is the poorest county but because it is a country where so many little lives are dying of this extreme situation, someone needs to step up 'right now' to help! The primary reason of dying due to malnutrition is because of protein deficiency. The immediate solution to savings lives in Afghanistan is none other than to supply them with protein nutrient.