Food assistance: more than short-term relief
Abdul Jabar is a 60-year-old cobbler and father of seven chilren from Firozkoh in the mountainous and remote Ghor province. His unstable income often leaves him struggling to provide food for his family. “There were days when I didn’t know how we’d manage the next meal,” he told.
An estimated 14.8 million people in Afghanistan, like Abdul Jabar and his family, will face acute food insecurity in 2025, according to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP).
To combat this urgent crisis, World Vision, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), is implementing a General Food Assistance (GFA) programme in Ghor and Badghis provinces, providing lifesaving food packages to the most vulnerable families.
Since November 2024, the initiative has supported 52,710 families in both Ghor and Badghis provinces, providing critical relief to families in need through five months of cold and harsh weather.
The assistance has been life-changing for Abdul Jabar. With reduced stress over daily survival, he has been able to focus on earning a more stable living from cobbling. “Now, my family has enough to eat,” he said, “and I can concentrate on my work.”
With improved health, renewed energy, and a more stable income, Abdul Jabar’s story is a powerful example of how timely interventions like GFA are much more than temporary relief. Food assistance can help vulnerable families focus on putting themselves on a more sustainable footing, securing better future for themselves and their children. 