Tragedy Strikes as Afghan Mother Loses Three Children to Starvation

Fri Sep 26 2025 15:55:27 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In the face of a devastating hunger crisis, an Afghan mother mourns the loss of her three children due to malnutrition, reflecting the dire situation facing families amid ongoing economic hardships and reduced aid.

As Afghanistan grapples with extreme hunger and malnutrition, Ghulam and Nazo, a couple from the Herat province, have tragically lost three sons in two years due to starvation. With no assistance from the Taliban or NGOs, they have been left to contend with a worsening famine crisis. Reports indicate that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is escalating, with over three million children at risk due to malnutrition. With dwindling aid and international support, the urgency of this humanitarian disaster is more pressing than ever.

Gusts of wind blew dust up off the ground as Ghulam Mohiddin and his wife Nazo walked towards the graveyard where all their children are buried. They showed us the graves of the three boys they lost in the past two years – one-year-old Rahmat, seven-month-old Koatan and most recently, three-month-old Faisal Ahmad.

All three suffered from malnutrition, say Ghulam and Nazo. 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, says Nazo. I hope every day that angels would somehow put my babies back in our home.

There are days the couple go without food. They break walnut shells for a living in the Sheidaee settlement just outside the city of Herat in western Afghanistan and receive no help from the Taliban government or from NGOs.

Watching helplessly as my children cried out of hunger, it felt like my body was erupting in flames. It felt like someone was cutting me into half with a saw from my head to my feet, said Ghulam. The deaths of their children are not recorded anywhere, but it's evidence of a silent wave of mortality engulfing Afghanistan's youngest, as the country is pushed into what the UN calls an unprecedented crisis of hunger.

As of 2025, Afghanistan has recorded the highest increase in child malnutrition ever noted. Food assistance has dramatically decreased following cuts from international shores, particularly after the United States nearly ceased all aid. The soaring of malnutrition is placing the lives of more than three million children in peril, warns John Aylieff, the World Food Programme's country director.

Taliban officials have stated that the malnutrition crisis is a result of sanctions and aid cuts, not governmental actions, asserting their commitment to assisting citizens despite a lack of resources. However, their policies, particularly regarding women's employment bans, hinder international recognition and support.

The prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is not an isolated issue but is exacerbated by compounded factors, including severe droughts affecting agricultural output and the mass return of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries.

At the graves of their young deceased children, Ghulam and Nazo find themselves surrounded by a graveyard that reflects a much larger tragedy: two-thirds of graves in Sheidaee are for children. Malnutrition continues to plague families, with hospitals seeing a disturbing rise in child admissions for related ailments.

As winter approaches and funding for humanitarian aid dwindles further, the situation in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly desperate.