41 Female Aid Workers Laid off in Afghanistan

Forty-one female aid workers have been dismissed from nutrition and health programs in Afghanistan after severe funding shortages forced humanitarian organizations to scale back operations, raising renewed concerns about the country’s worsening malnutrition crisis.

According to local sources, the World Food Programme (WFP) has terminated the contracts of 41 women working in the health and nutrition sector in Kapisa Province, citing a critical budget deficit. The decision comes at a particularly sensitive moment, as malnutrition rates among children and mothers continue to rise sharply.

Affected staff say the layoffs have left entire communities exposed, with essential services for women and children now limited or no longer available. One dismissed employee said that they laid everyone off and told us there is no budget. 

The developments were reported by the Afghan news agency Khama Press.

The cuts risk deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where economic collapse and political instability have pushed millions into poverty. A recent report by the United Nations indicates that around 75 per cent of the population remains unemployed, leaving countless families struggling to meet basic needs.

The same report suggests that nearly 90 per cent of households in Afghanistan are living below the poverty line, highlighting the urgent need for sustained humanitarian aid and long-term development solutions.

UN agencies have repeatedly warned that chronic funding shortages are undermining vital operations in the country. The UNICEF has said that about 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition. While the agency aims to treat about 1.3 million children with moderate to severe malnutrition, its efforts continue to be constrained by limited resources.

Humanitarian organizations caution that without an immediate increase in international funding, further program closures and staff layoffs are likely, placing millions of Afghan women and children at heightened risk.