The EU Provides an Additional €40 Million for Child Protection and Polio Vaccination in Afghanistan

According to a statement made by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Sunday, the European Union provides an additional €25 million for polio vaccines and €15 million for child protection in Afghanistan.

The EU has granted a combined €40 million to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) to assist polio vaccination operations and child protection efforts throughout the nation.

With the deteriorating humanitarian crisis and economic meltdown in the country, the children endure violence and other threats which force them to make desperate decisions for survival.

According to a UNICEF statement, many Afghan children experience compelled to start working, and some even take the risk of labor overseas as 88 percent of households had at least one child working under severe conditions outside home.

“That is why the EU is contributing an additional €15 million to UNICEF, to help identify boys and girls returning to Afghanistan who need help, and children at risk of migration, and give them options other than migration or labor,” said the EU ambassador to Afghanistan, Andreas von Brandt.

With this fund, UNICEF and WHO will be able to identify, reunify and integrate unaccompanied minors, provide apprenticeships, cash and psychological assistance, and hold polio vaccination campaigns nationwide.

With the exception of Afghanistan, and Pakistan, polio has been completely eradicated worldwide.

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