WFP Delivers Emergency Food Assistance To 200,000 Flood Victims
DHAKA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing emergency food supplies to more than 200,000 people in northwest Bangladesh, about a week after massive floods inundated more than half the country.
WFP, in partnership with local NGOs, is giving micro-nutrient fortified biscuits to people living in four of the worst-affected areas of Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat.
“Many flood survivors have lost everything: their homes, their possessions, their crops. People need food right now, and the full impact on longer-term food security threatens to be devastating,” said WFP Representative Christa Räder.
Families staying in temporary shelters will receive 3.75 kg of biscuits to help them through the coming days. Many cannot return to their homes and lack access to cooking facilities. Many have lost their homes, businesses, crops and livelihoods, and are now vulnerable to deteriorating food insecurity, lack of income and poverty.
More than 6.9 million people have been affected by the floods, and more than 580,000 hectares of crop land have been destroyed.
In addition to providing immediate food assistance, WFP plans to support 100,000 of the poorest and most vulnerable, i.e. households of women without an adult male, disabled persons and the elderly, with three rounds of cash assistance over the course of three months to buy food and other immediate necessities. Each family will receive BDT 4,000 per month (totalling USD 150), starting from September.
WFP’s response is part of a joint United Nations emergency response coordinated with the Government of Bangladesh, international and national NGOs and donors, working to address immediate needs and help flood victims to get back on their feet.
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About WFP
WFP is the world's leading humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
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For more information, please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Christa Räder, Representative, WFP Bangladesh, Tel. +880-171-159-6032
Line Sofie Adser, Communications Officer, WFP Bangladesh, Tel. +880-2-918-3022 ext. 2164
