The district of Dari Suf Bala, in the province of Samangan, in Afghanistan suffers from poverty and a weak economy. The majority of those living in the district work in the agricultural sector, but production remains low. Added to this, the climatic constraints and frequent threats of armed attacks have a direct impact on NGO work out in the field.

Chronic malnutrition is a huge problem in the region. A study carried out by the National Nutrition Strategy (NNS) estimated the chronic malnutrition rate to be 47.1% in 2013.

The following major risk factors have been identified: 

Limited access to drinking water,

Poor sanitation and hygiene practices, notably in households with mothers and children,

Inappropriate supplementary feeding practices,

The state of health of the infants is poor and the mothers have limited access to healthcare services,

The limited well-being of the mothers and lack of care when pregnant.

Please refer to the full report for more detailed information.