By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN aid coordination office on Sunday has released $10 million in response to the urgent need for food, water, shelter and other lifesaving provisions after the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks in Afghanistan.
UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement “This is the latest crisis to expose the cost of shrinking resources on vital humanitarian work.”
He stressed that more funding is needed to assist the thousands of Afghans who have lost their livelihoods in the catastrophe.
UN’s Emergency Fund is now accepting donations to aid Afghanistan.
UN refugee agency has sent emergency relief items worth $4.5 million to assist over 5,000 households in Kunar and Jalalabad, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters earlier.
UNFPA, estimated that more than 11,600 pregnant women have been impacted by the earthquake.
According to the agency, Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the Asia Pacific area.
Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah the UNFPA’s representative in Afghanistan said “For pregnant women, a natural disaster can turn an already challenging time into a life-threatening crisis”.
She added “We are on the ground, delivering essential care to ensure safe deliveries and prevent further loss of life”.
UNFPA is operating 20 health clinics in the region, in addition to deploying an emergency response.
