Survival strategy
Water scarcity is the main cause of strife for villagers in Bamyan province who struggle, far from Afghanistan’s major cities. “This particular village that I went to, they told me that around half of the population had left, actually, because there’s simply no water to irrigate the lands, and so all the crops that they were growing, they dried up,” Ms. Cherevko told UN News. “People who could leave, they left.”
Those who have remained often do so because they have no choice; they cannot afford to leave. Ms. Cherevko shared a striking example: “One of the men that I met had nine family members. He showed me what they were having for lunch. It was essentially a bowl of what looked like rotten potato peelings, cooked into a soup just to survive.”
3.7 million children facing acute malnutrition in 2026
Today, an estimated 3.7 million children in Afghanistan suffer from acute malnutrition. Many cases go unrecognized and in some UN-supported clinics “children die because parents simply didn’t know what was happening; by the time they brought the child in, it was already too late”, Ms. Cherevko explained.
The UN is addressing this critical issue by providing screening and medical support, but also by visiting remote communities and raising awareness. Agencies also provide basic assistance and registration every day to thousands of people who are often forcibly returned to the country by its neighbours. According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, around 8,000 people returned to Afghanistan in the week to 20 June 2026.
Most of these returnees have never lived in Afghanistan and did not choose to return. Their biggest concern is survival in a land of few opportunities.
Source: The UN
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