Women and girls are still forbidden to study in Afghanistan and therefore the original project proposal from LNF pivoted in 2023 in order to provide pre- and post-natal healthcare for expectant young mothers and their babies in Herat, alongside emergency food aid provision to female headed households.

The first year of this amended programme has gone well and over-achieved on all targets. Over 200 babies have now ‘graduated’ from the clinic and been supported out of severe malnourishment. The clinic is well established and on average they see 30 pregnant women a week, as well as paediatric follow up for families with babies and small children. They are also treating approximately 30 starving children a week (most of whom are below the marked percentile on the growth charts) for intensive nutrition support. As per the amended proposal the project also distributed a further 200 food parcels during the winter month for female-led households in extreme need.

Now entering its final year of funding with the ALMT, the Cheering clinic will continue to treat between 200-300 women and children. They will supply advice, vaccinations, medicine, and nutritional supplements to approximately 30 families a week and 20 pregnant women. A further 30 severely malnourished children will be seen weekly, and their families receive an additional food pack each week. Alongside the clinic the food aid project, called The Venus Project, will continue to support 8 extremely at need families (a total of 33 people) and provide numeracy and literacy support where possible.

There has been a pause in the food-aid programme over the summer months but from October onwards Gawarshad High School will again distribute 60 parcels per week for female-led families with children under 3 years old. This project will provide funding for 60 food parcels in 2024-25. Each parcel will feed a family for approximately six weeks equating to 360 recipients in total.