Fighting child malnutrition in Afghanistan

The importance of stimulation therapy

Nearly 3.7 million children between 6 months and 5 years old suffered from acute malnutrition in 2025 and 2026 in Afghanistan, around 26% of them severely.

Many families struggle to provide their children with even basic necessities, including food and health services. For young children, malnutrition heightens the risk of lasting developmental delays, including the inability to stand or walk.

The families supported by HI

HI's stimulation therapy services are provided to children aged 6 to 59 months. The intervention focuses on strengthening children's cognitive, social, emotional, language, and motor development while supporting their nutritional recovery.

The families HI supports are among the most in need, drawn from host communities, returnee households, and other at-risk populations. HI provides them with health and nutrition services. Many caregivers also require guidance and practical support to promote their children's development and recovery alongside nutritional treatment.

The sessions  

The program consists of a cycle of seven sessions over two weeks — always paired with nutrition support from a partner NGO. Each session lasts approximately 30 to 45 minutes and includes age-appropriate play activities, developmental stimulation, and coaching for caregivers to help them continue the activities at home.

The caregiver, usually the mother, is always involved. Whenever possible, sessions are coordinated with nutrition follow-up. For example, in Kunduz, children who attend the nutrition department on Monday and Thursday to receive treatment for malnutrition can attend their stimulation therapy session on the same day.

For families who miss an appointment, the HI team conducts follow-up phone calls and sends reminders to encourage attendance and completion of the seven-session program. Most patients attend their scheduled sessions regularly and successfully complete the full cycle.

At the end of the seven sessions, mothers see their children standing and attempting to walk.

Where HI provides stimulation therapy

HI provides stimulation therapy services at Kunduz Regional Hospital, where a dedicated stimulation therapy unit has been established between the inpatient and outpatient departments. In addition, stimulation therapy services are provided at Atatürk Child Health Hospital in Kabul.

Most recently, HI launched stimulation therapy activities in Injil District.

HI currently has one dedicated stimulation therapist at each implementation site (in Kunduz, Kabul, and Herat). In total, three HI staff in total are currently providing stimulation therapy services.

How many people supported

Since the introduction of the activity in mid-August 2025, HI has provided stimulation therapy services to 730 children across two provinces — Kunduz and Kabul (data on Herat are not yet available). Of these, 348 were boys and 382 were girls.