Hello again, Runner!
We know it has almost been a month since the start of our Ayandeh Challenge, an end of year challenge where we decided to run for the children of Afghanistan, so please don’t give up now!
As we know, Afghanistan has experienced a deep humanitarian crisis and we are here together to help those in need.
Increased conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan have left children paying a heavy price. Afghan children will need humanitarian assistance to survive. Millions of children remain in Afghanistan, without supplies, access to schools, food, facing the threat of violence and strained by a third wave of COVID-19.
“Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child.“
So today, we brought you 5 motives to run. Winter is returning and for this reason we are here to motivate you to keep going and to inform you of our purpose and mission:
- According to Relief Web and UNHRC, 665,182 people have been displaced in Afghanistan since the start of 2021, 80% of whom are women and children. In total, 33 of the 34 provinces have experienced some level of forced displacement;
- A recent report from the UN Security Council shows that in two years, 5,770 children have been killed or injured in Afghanistan.
- The same UN report shows that during the first half of 2021, child deaths in the country hit the highest levels to date, with more than 550 children killed and an additional 1,400 injured.
- Unicef states without immediate treatment, at least 1 million of children are at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition;
- According to WFP surveys, 95 per cent of households in Afghanistan are not consuming enough food, adults are eating less and skipping meals so their children can eat more. Acute food insecurity affects around 14 million people in Afghanistan and an estimated 3.2 million children under the age of five will be acutely malnourished by the end of 2021.
Our mission during this challenge is to help the Jesuit Refugee Service continue their community and refugee services in Afghanistan and here in Portugal. Since settling in Lisbon, JRS have been supporting migrants and refugees by providing them with social, psychological, medical and legal support and also running projects that focus on language learning, training, skills development and access to the labor market. On average, JRS receives 40 people a day seeking social assistance, psychological assistance, medical assistance and medication, legal assistance and job placement assistance, and training.
We hope that you have learned a little more about the problems and difficulties that the children of Afghanistan are facing so that you can continue to help us and stay motivated in this challenge and future challenges!
Together we can really make the difference! 🙂
Run4aChild Team