World Food Programme delivers critical food assistance to 100,000 Ukrainians in newly accessible areas near frontline
KYIV – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have over the last few days distributed more than 70,000 food rations in Kharkiv oblast, 30,000 rations in Kherson oblast, and 500 rations in Luhansk oblast, reaching communities who have only just become accessible to humanitarian agencies.
Most of the people that WFP and its partners reached in those areas had not received humanitarian assistance since April, despite multiple attempts by WFP and other UN agencies to secure access. WFP notably delivered food in Izium, Balakliya, and Shevchenkove in Kharkiv oblast, both with its local partners and as part of UN interagency convoys.
“We’re proud of the incredible work that our local partners have been able to achieve in a short time – in some cases as quickly as 48 hours after these areas became accessible, risking their lives to deliver lifesaving aid,” said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director in Ukraine. “The reality is that many families living near the frontline do not have a reliable access to nutritious foods,” Hollingworth added.
Most of WFP’s food boxes contain wheat flour or rice, pasta, canned protein (meat or beans), and sunflower oil. They are designed to cover a person’s essential food needs for 30 days. WFP also distributes ready-to-eat rations and locally baked bread in places where families are on the move or may be unable to cook.
Food assistance is one of many ways WFP supports Ukrainians affected by the war. WFP also distributes cash to vulnerable Ukrainians, and has disbursed more than US$240 million to 1.5 million people to date. WFP supported the resumption of grain exports through Black Sea ports, directly benefiting Ukrainian farmers and the agricultural sector. The wheat, bread, and sunflower oil that WFP distributes to Ukrainians are all procured locally in Ukraine.
WFP’s food assistance in Ukraine is generously funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, The Republic of Korea, Kuwait, the Federated States of Micronesia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor Leste, and private donors.
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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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