The infant mortality rate in Kabul, Afghanistan, is currently among the highest in the world. About 200 infants out of every 1,000 die before their first birthday.

The European Commission is making available 305,000 ECU for a project that should help re-activate mother and child healthcare in the city. This grant, channelled via the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO), will enable Aide Medicale Internationale (AMI), a French non-governmental organisation, to work on a six-month medical aid project. It will support 30 clinics that the Ministry of Public Health is trying to run with scant resources. The project will concentrate exclusively on pre- and post-natal care, supporting traditional birth attendants and providing vaccinations. AMI plans to make this programme part of a wider strategy to raise the quality of life in the city.

Kabul's population currently stands at about 800,000. Humanitarian aid workers expect the situation there to get worse, because people who fled the fighting are coming home in large numbers.