Save the Children: Lives of 11,000 Pregnant Women in Earthquake-Hit Areas of Afghanistan at Risk

Photo: AFP

Save the Children has warned that at least 11,000 pregnant women in the earthquake-affected areas of eastern Afghanistan are living in tents and difficult conditions and may have to give birth in these temporary shelters.

On Wednesday (September 24), the organization published a report stressing that with the arrival of winter, the lives of mothers and newborns are under serious threat.

According to the organization’s findings, about 90 percent of earthquake-affected families have lost their homes and are now living in tents or in the open air. In addition, 39,000 children in these areas are exposed to the cold without necessary facilities.

Samira Sayed Rahman, Save the Children’s Program Director in Afghanistan, said:

“No baby should take their first breath in a tent. No child should be without shoes, warm clothes, or heating as winter approaches. There is now a race against time to keep newborns and children in these areas safe from the dangers of the harsh winter.”

Save the Children stated that in Kunar Province and other affected areas it is providing mobile health services, cash and hygiene assistance, as well as psychosocial support, but emphasized that existing resources are insufficient and there is an urgent need for international aid.

This comes after a 5-magnitude earthquake earlier this month struck the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, especially Kunar, Nangarhar, and Nuristan, leaving more than 2,200 dead and thousands injured. Thousands of homes were destroyed, with the mountainous regions of Kunar suffering the most damage.

Landslides have blocked many roads, making access to hospitals difficult. The shortage of female doctors, Taliban restrictions on female aid workers, and lack of medical equipment have compounded the crisis for pregnant women.

The United Nations has also stated that nearly half a million people are in need of immediate assistance following the earthquake.