Thousands of children displaced by last year’s earthquakes in Afghanistan are facing heightened risks of life-threatening illnesses as freezing winter temperatures deepen an already dire humanitarian situation, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

An estimated 270,000 children remain vulnerable across affected areas, many living in inadequate shelters without sufficient heating, winter clothing or access to basic healthcare.

Prolonged exposure to cold and damp conditions has sharply increased the risk of respiratory infections, hypothermia and other preventable diseases, UNICEF warned this week.

Humanitarian officials say the onset of winter has compounded the challenges facing earthquake-affected families, many of whom are still struggling to recover months after the disaster. Children living in temporary settlements are particularly exposed to rain, snow and poor sanitation, further heightening health risks.

“We are responding quickly by providing winter support and constructing drainage systems in the Khas Kunar camp to divert rain and wastewater,” UNICEF said, underscoring efforts to reduce the spread of disease and improve living conditions for displaced families.

Aid agencies are urging sustained international support, warning that without continued assistance, Afghanistan’s most vulnerable children could face worsening health outcomes during the harsh winter months.

Afghanistan’s national power utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), says electricity supply has been disrupted in several provinces after a major power transmission line importing electricity from Uzbekistan went out of service.

In a statement, DABS said the 220-kilovolt transmission line along the Pul-e-Khumri–Kabul route sustained technical damage due to heavy rainfall, snowfall, and strong winds, forcing it offline.

The outage has resulted in widespread power shortages and intermittent electricity cuts across Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Logar, Paktia, Khost, and parts of Baghlan province.

DABS said severe snowfall in the Salang area has so far prevented technical teams from accessing the site and determining the exact location of the fault.

The company added that repair crews will be deployed as soon as weather conditions improve, allowing engineers to locate and repair the damaged section of the line and restore electricity supply.

The European Commission has committed €126 million ($137 million) to support humanitarian operations in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan in 2026, part of an initial €1.9 billion aid package designed to address global crises amid funding shortfalls from other major donors.

The allocation comes as an estimated 239 million people worldwide require humanitarian assistance, the Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. In addition, over €415 million has been reserved to respond to sudden-onset emergencies and to maintain strategic supply chains.

EC Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib announced the commitment at the World Economic Forum in Davos, emphasizing the need for private sector engagement and innovative solutions to complement public funding. “The humanitarian system is under unprecedented strain, and public funding alone will not meet the scale of the crisis,” she said.

“Europe is taking action, committing an initial €1.9 billion for 2026. As the largest humanitarian donor, we are taking our political responsibility and leading the global response,” Lahbib added. She will also co-host an event at the WEF on “New Alliances in Aid and Development” to explore partnerships that enhance global humanitarian efforts.

The European Commission noted that the EU and its member states remain the world’s leading humanitarian aid donors.

Rising Displacement

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported in its 2025 Impact Report that a combination of new emergencies and protracted crises forced millions from their homes last year. By mid-2025, approximately 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced, a slight decrease from the previous year. However, projections indicate that the global displaced population—including returnees and stateless persons—could surpass 136 million by the end of 2026.

UNHCR warned that severe funding cuts have affected all aspects of its operations, including emergency responses, forcing the agency to scale down both activities and staff by one-third.

The agency stressed that without increased and flexible funding, its ability to respond rapidly to new crises will be severely limited, just as global humanitarian needs continue to grow.