US aid cuts force Afghan malnutrition clinic to shut down

Action Against Hunger clinic in Kabul halts operations as US ends funding, leaving thousands of malnourished children at risk.

An empty screening room is seen on April 14, 2025, at a closed Therapeutic Feeding Unit (TFU) in Kabul, formerly operated by Action Against Hunger to treat malnourished children. Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

In the heart of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, a once-bustling malnutrition treatment centre has fallen silent. The cries of weak children have been replaced by an eerie stillness. This devastating change comes after US aid cuts forced the Action Against Hunger clinic, entirely funded by Washington, to cease operations. The move has left countless malnourished children without access to lifesaving care.

Until recently, the United States was the largest international donor to Afghanistan. But when it froze all foreign assistance, projects like the Kabul nutrition centre became immediate casualties. For families already living on the edge, the consequences are life-threatening.

"The many children who would have come to the centre won’t be treated now," said Cobi Rietveld, the country director for Action Against Hunger (ACF). The organisation ran the clinic, which was located in the western district of Kabul. "If they don't get treatment, there's an extreme high risk of dying," she told AFP.

Silent rooms, locked pharmacy, and laid-off staff

With the last patient discharged in March, the colourful toys, stuffed animals, and baby bottles were tucked away. The pharmacy, once filled with critical medicines, is now locked. Most heartbreaking of all, the staff—once 40 strong—have been laid off. Their skills and commitment now go unused, victims of the US funding cuts.

Chief doctor Farid Ahmad Barakzai described the emotional toll of closing the facility. "When malnourished patients come to our clinic, it’s a big challenge for our staff to explain the situation to them and to tell them that they need to go elsewhere for proper treatment," he said.

But few alternatives exist. Afghanistan, after four decades of conflict, political instability, and poverty, is already grappling with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. According to the United Nations, it ranks only behind war-torn Sudan.

Malnourished children at heightened risk

On average, 65 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with complications were treated at the clinic each month. Many of them stayed with their mothers for days, receiving not just food but monitoring and care to prevent their conditions from worsening.

“Every infection a child can get, a malnourished child will get as well, with an increased risk of dying,” said Rietveld.

The clinic had become a beacon of hope in a country where 45 percent of the population is under 14. With 3.5 million Afghan children under the age of five currently suffering from acute malnutrition, the need is critical. The country also ranks among the top globally for stunting, a condition that can impact physical and cognitive development for life.

“It’s painful,” Rietveld admitted, speaking about the emotional strain of seeing staff finish their last days of work, forced to send children to clinics that do not offer specialized care. “They have to send them somewhere else where they don’t have the same specialized treatment.”

Widening crisis beyond children

While the closure of the clinic primarily affects children, the repercussions are far wider. Around 15 million Afghans are food insecure, and of these, 3.1 million are already on the brink of famine. Adults, especially mothers and caretakers, face their own struggles, unable to provide basic nourishment to their families.

Last week, the World Food Programme confirmed that the United States had halted its funding for Afghanistan—a reversal of its decision to lift cuts in other countries. That decision is now having tangible consequences on the ground.

“This is a country that’s been through so many shocks,” said Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the World Health Organization’s representative in Afghanistan. “So with a fragile system, even basic care of screening, those are even not there… of course the most vulnerable are the most affected.”

Humanitarian jobs lost, especially for women

The US aid cuts have also triggered a wave of layoffs across the humanitarian sector. According to the World Bank, unemployment in Afghanistan reached 12.2 percent in 2024. In the case of Action Against Hunger, 150 of its 900 staff have been laid off—many of them women.

“I have crying people in my office,” Rietveld said. “We listen, we offer support, but we can’t get them a job.”

Women, in particular, have borne the brunt of these cuts. At the now-closed malnutrition clinic, women made up the majority of the workforce. But since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, restrictions on women’s rights have escalated. They are now barred from most forms of employment and education beyond primary school unless they attend religious institutions.

“For many of us, the only place we could work was in this health centre,” said 27-year-old nurse Wazhma Noorzai. “Now, we are losing even that.”

No clear path to fill the funding gap

The crisis at the clinic is just one visible example of the massive gap left by the sudden halt in US funding. Action Against Hunger is now scrambling to fill the shortfall, which amounts to 30 percent of its local budget. Rietveld said the organisation is writing proposals and reaching out to potential donors.

“But I don’t think other donors can cover the gap,” she admitted.

This reality casts a dark shadow over Afghanistan’s already fragile health and humanitarian infrastructure. In a country where public systems have always relied heavily on external aid, the abrupt withdrawal of American support has sent shockwaves through institutions, leaving those in need with few options.

A broader warning to the international community

The clinic’s closure serves as a grim warning of what happens when aid is cut without a sustainable plan to fill the void. The American aid halt in Afghanistan could quickly become a template for crisis elsewhere if donor nations continue to reassess their commitments without ensuring continuity for critical services.

For the Afghan people, the impact is immediate and painful. Children are left to suffer without medical care, families lose access to life-saving support, and women find themselves once again excluded from the workforce. As the silence in Kabul’s malnutrition centre deepens, so too does the desperation of those left behind.

The world is watching, but for now, there are no easy answers. And for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable, time is quickly running out.