Donors back $280 million transfer for Afghan food, health

FILE PHOTO: A boy sleeps as he rides a bicycle in Kabul, Afghanistan October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donors agreed on Friday to transfer $280 million from a frozen, trust fund to the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF to support nutrition and health in Afghanistan, the World Bank said as it seeks to help a country facing famine and economic freefall.

The World Bank-administered Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund will this year give $180 million to WFP to scale up food security and nutrition operations and $100 million to UNICEF to provide essential health services, the bank said in a statement.