The Heartbreaking Reality of Child Malnutrition in Afghanistan: A Mother's Grief

Sat Oct 11 2025 08:31:07 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Ghulam Mohiddin and Nazo, an Afghan couple, mourn the loss of their three young sons to malnutrition amid a deepening hunger crisis in Afghanistan. Their story underscores the dire conditions faced by families in the region.

The tragic accounts of Ghulam and Nazo, who lost three sons to starvation in Afghanistan, illustrate the escalating crisis of child malnutrition. The United Nations warns of a growing peril for millions of children as food assistance dwindles amidst political and economic turmoil.

Ghulam Mohiddin and his wife Nazo find themselves in inconsolable grief as they walk towards the graveyard where their children are buried, victims of malnutrition in a country steeped in turmoil. After losing their three young boys—Rahmat, Koatan, and Faisal Ahmad—Nazo reflects, Can you imagine how painful it's been for me to lose three children? One minute there's a baby in your arms, the next minute they are empty. Her hope for the return of her children in angelic form poignantly captures the despair she endures.

In the Sheidaee settlement near Herat, the couple grapples daily with hunger and poverty. Breaking walnut shells for a living, they struggle to feed themselves and their surviving children. As Ghulam recounts, Watching helplessly as my children cried out of hunger, it felt like my body was erupting in flames. The stark reality of their situation reflects an alarming trend as the UN reports unprecedented levels of child malnutrition in Afghanistan.

World Food Programme's John Aylieff highlights the catastrophic increase in malnutrition cases over the past year, with rising numbers of children at risk. The marked decline in international aid, particularly after funding cuts by the US, has exacerbated the crisis, leaving millions vulnerable.

A troubling silence accompanies the mounting statistics, with many child deaths going unreported. In the Sheidaee graveyard, a disproportionate amount of children's graves signal a community under siege from a hunger crisis compounded by governmental policies and natural disasters.

Daily survival for families like Ghulam and Nazo is riddled with torment. Women in the area report desperate measures, including sedating their children to keep them from the pangs of hunger. The harrowing testimonies paint a dire picture where parents feel compelled to choose between their children’s suffering or their own.

As winter approaches, the situation worsens. With humanitarian support running out, many fear the worst is yet to come. Observers like Aylieff predict that without renewed funding, the WFP will have to turn away needy families, foretelling a grim chapter amidst Afghanistan's already unbearable conditions.

Families like that of Hanifa Sayedi feed their toddlers with bread soaked in tea, but such measures are insufficient for those suffering from severe malnutrition. Doctors warn that the use of medications intended for adults can have lethal consequences for young children, further highlighting the perilous state of Afghan families.

The tragic realities faced by Ghulam and Nazo, along with countless others, underscore the urgent need for attention and action to be directed towards the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.