Afghan Children Frozen, Vulnerable and at Risk of Deadly Illness as Winter Deepens, UNICEF Sounds Dire Alarm to Protect Them

As Afghanistan’s winter tightens its grip, children displaced by last year’s devastating earthquakes are facing a life‑or‑death struggle against the cold. UNICEF warns that an estimated 270,000 children remain severely at risk of hypothermia, pneumonia and other life‑threatening diseases because many are still living in inadequate shelters without heating, winter clothing or basic healthcare support.

Temperatures in affected regions are plunging well below freezing, compounding the hardships for families whose homes were destroyed and forcing them into tents and temporary settlements that offer little protection against snow and icy winds. In some areas, children have already died from cold‑related illnesses that could have been prevented with proper shelter and care, underscoring the urgent nature of the crisis.

UNICEF teams are actively responding on the ground, delivering winter support supplies like warm clothing, blankets and tarpaulins, working on sanitation and drainage improvements to reduce disease spread, and providing essential health services in displacement camps. These efforts also include psychosocial support and emergency medical care to help children survive and recover.

But the agency stresses that the needs far exceed what has been delivered so far. A significant funding gap threatens to leave thousands without lifesaving winter aid, and UNICEF continues to call on governments, donors and the international community to step up support before even more children suffer or perish.

UNICEF leaders emphasize that protecting children in emergencies is not just about providing supplies, but about safeguarding their health, dignity and future in the face of extreme weather and displacement. With sustained humanitarian action, they say, it is still possible to prevent further tragedy this winter.