World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

With tens of thousands of people in need of food assistance in the Kyrgyztan crisis in July, WFP logistics staff in Tajikistan sent 650 metric tonnes of wheat flour from their warehouses across the border and through neighboring Uzbekistan to the epicenter of the crisis, the southern Kyrgyzs city of Osh. Nearly 50 trucks were required to move the wheat flour, and special allowances for this food loan were granted by the Government of Tajikistan and the donor of the wheat flour, the Russian Federation. In the coming weeks, the logistics staff will also send pulses across the borders.

The WFP warehouse manager keeps a close check on the stacks as the bags are removed for shipment to the crisis. The food will be repaid to the Tajikistan operaton in September.

WFP logistics assistant Olimsho Olimshoev (left) consults with a driver of one of the trucks contracted for the food assistance transfer.

The trucks are lined up and waiting for the departure to Kyrgyzstan.

WFP staff and drivers do last-minute checks on the papers and documents required to move food assistance to the crisis zone, including the consent of the Government of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation.

Drivers put the WFP logo on the front of the truck to indicate it is carrying humanitarian cargo.

Logistics assistant Olimsho Olimshoev gives a final briefing to the drivers, who will leave.

As dawn breaks, the convoy arrives at the border with Kyrgyzstan for the final leg of the journey.

It took less than a day for the labourers to transfer the 650 MT of Russian-donated wheat flour from the warehouse in Khujand to the fleet of 49 trucks transporting the food.