WFP Fighting Famine with Finance in Drought Stricken Somalia (For the Media)

In February 2017, WFP reached almost a million people in Somalia using a combination of food distributions and digital cash cards that allow people to buy food in local markets-that’s more than twice the number of people reached in January. Close to 3 million people cannot meet their daily food requirements and require urgent humanitarian assistance, while another 3.3 million Somalis need livelihood support to keep from sliding into crisis. WFP is mobilizing air and other logistics assets to ensure a rapid and comprehensive response. And is airlifting essential nutrition supplies into hard-to-reach locations. WFP is also airlifting high-energy biscuits and other supplementary food for immediate assistance to drought-affected people who are on the move. WFP urgently needs more than US$290 million in order to cover the additional needs for more than 2 million people in need of life-saving food assistance, and to provide specialized nutrition support to mothers and children.