The Republic of Korea supports vulnerable families in Uganda
KAMPALA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has today welcomed a contribution of 6,000 MT of rice from the Government of the Republic of Korea to provide life-saving food assistance to 350,000 refugees and an additional 150,000 people facing hunger in the Karamoja region
“We are extremely grateful for the continued support from the Government of the Republic of Korea to provide life-saving assistance for vulnerable people,” said Abdirahman Meygag, WFP Representative and Country Director in Uganda. “We must all come together to identify and implement sustainable solutions to chronic hunger in Uganda.”
This contribution comes at a time when forty percent of the population of Karamoja are facing hunger, and the arrival of 86,000 new refugees since January is stretching already limited resources. Chronic funding shortfalls have forced WFP to implement a prioritisation system for refugees whereby the most vulnerable receive a seventy percent ration and the less vulnerable receive a forty percent ration.
“During these hard times, the already vulnerable such as refugees and the people of Karamoja are hit hardest. The Republic of Korea is committed to supporting Uganda in ensuring that, even in the face of crisis, the most vulnerable are able to meet their food needs,” Korean Ambassador to Uganda, H.E Ambassador Park Sung-Soo said. “We are proud to work with WFP to contribute to ensuring that people hit by crisis and climate shocks get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. The rice from the people of Korea is a sign of solidarity and a message that Korea upholds its obligation to support displaced and vulnerable people.”
A 2021 study, carried out after the distribution of Korean rice revealed that poor food consumption scores decreased from 12 percent to 7 percent across all 11 refugee settlements. In addition, households who resorted to negative coping mechanisms reduced from 20 to 18 percent after receiving Korean rice assistance.
The Government of Korea has provided rice to meet the immediate food and nutrition needs of food insecure populations in Uganda since 2018.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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