UN Appeal for $266 To Feed Refugees In Eastern Africa – Will This Amount Be Enough?
Two UN organizations warned on Tuesday that a funding deficit is jeopardizing the lives of three million refugees in eastern Africa.The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are seeking $266 million after being forced to reduce food rations by up to 60%.
COVID-19 lockdowns and containment policies, they say, have worsened the crisis by reducing food supplies in refugee camps’ markets and limiting refugees’ ability to sustain their families by casual employment and small businesses.
Ms.Nkweta-Salami UNHCR’s Regional Bureau Director for the East, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes said that to fulfil their immediate food requirements, refugees have turned to negative coping mechanisms such as missing or cutting meals, taking out high-interest loans, selling possessions, child labour, and intensified domestic violence, adding that “there is often a feeling of no alternative.”
“We have a $266 million deficit for refugees’ minimum requirements for the next six months,” said Michael Dunford, Regional Director for Eastern Africa. “We are afraid that if the cuts continue, they will be forced to make a tough choice: remain in the camps, where food and nutrition availability is worsening, or risk returning when conditions are unsafe.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) has cut support to Rwanda by 60%, calling the decision “unprecedented.” Approximately 140,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi have sought asylum in the region.
The organization helps 138,000 refugees in camps and 12,500 children from the local community who attend the same schools and collect school meals as refugees.
Last Updated: July 5, 2021 by CornerstoneCMG
UN Appeal for $266 To Feed Refugees In Eastern Africa – Will This Amount Be Enough?
Two UN organizations warned on Tuesday that a funding deficit is jeopardizing the lives of three million refugees in eastern Africa.The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are seeking $266 million after being forced to reduce food rations by up to 60%.
COVID-19 lockdowns and containment policies, they say, have worsened the crisis by reducing food supplies in refugee camps’ markets and limiting refugees’ ability to sustain their families by casual employment and small businesses.
Ms.Nkweta-Salami UNHCR’s Regional Bureau Director for the East, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes said that to fulfil their immediate food requirements, refugees have turned to negative coping mechanisms such as missing or cutting meals, taking out high-interest loans, selling possessions, child labour, and intensified domestic violence, adding that “there is often a feeling of no alternative.”
“We have a $266 million deficit for refugees’ minimum requirements for the next six months,” said Michael Dunford, Regional Director for Eastern Africa. “We are afraid that if the cuts continue, they will be forced to make a tough choice: remain in the camps, where food and nutrition availability is worsening, or risk returning when conditions are unsafe.”
The World Food Programme (WFP) has cut support to Rwanda by 60%, calling the decision “unprecedented.” Approximately 140,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi have sought asylum in the region.
The organization helps 138,000 refugees in camps and 12,500 children from the local community who attend the same schools and collect school meals as refugees.
Report by:
Journalist/Photographer _ Florence Akano
Journalist/Photographer _ Olivier Noudjalbaye Dedingar
Category: News Tags: Reduces Food, Refugees, UNHCR, United nation, WFP