WFP Welcomes US$10 Million United States Contribution To Support Refugees
KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a US$10 million contribution from the government of the United States of America in support of refugees in Uganda, including the new arrivals from South Sudan.
“This contribution comes at a critical time, when WFP’s resources are being stretched to respond to the influx of refugees into the country, many of whom are fleeing the conflict in South Sudan” said the Country Representative, Alice Martin-Daihirou. “It will enable WFP to meet the immediate needs of 140,000 people over the next five months, as they start to cultivate food on land that the government provides them.”
With this funding, WFP will buy maize grain, maize meal, beans, salt, sorghum and fortified blended foods from Uganda and within the region. The food will be distributed as monthly rations to refugees in nine settlements in Uganda as well as being used to provide hot meals at six transit centres. Most arrive at the transit centres hungry and exhausted and the WFP assistance is often the first full hot meal they have eaten after several days or weeks on the road.
With more than 100,000 South Sudanese having crossed the border into Uganda since mid-December, the ongoing conflict is stretching the capacity of the Ugandan government and the humanitarian community to meet their needs. Refugees continue to enter Uganda from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and 40,000 from DRC will benefit from this new funding. Overall, WFP is currently supporting an estimated 295,000 refugees in Uganda in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The United States is the largest funder of WFP’s relief and recovery programmes in Uganda, contributing US$20.5 million in 2014. This is in addition to separate funding for WFP’s development activities for agriculture and market support.
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WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Last year, WFP reached more than 97 million people in 80 countries with food assistance.
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For more information please contact:
Lydia Wamala, Tel: +256.312.242.000 or Cell: +256.758.778.037
