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KINSHASA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes contributions of more than US$48 million for food assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The contributions were from by the African Development Bank, France, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States of America.
With the funds, WFP has addressed the most acute needs of 1.2 million food-insecure people over the past four months. Most are victims of armed conflict, internally displaced people (IDPs), as well as refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) who rely on WFP assistance.
WFP has received less than a third of its budgetary requirements for this year. As a result, WFP is prioritizing assistance to the most vulnerable. These include refugees, particularly those recently arrived from CAR, malnourished children, pregnant women and nursing mothers, as well as IDPs (among them recently displaced people) returning to their areas of origin.
"At a time when competing global humanitarian emergencies are outpacing the resources needed to respond to them, we are extremely grateful for the generosity of those who continue to support our work in DRC," said WFP Representative and Country Director Martin Ohlsen.
"Where possible, we use these contributions so that the benefits spread beyond the person receiving assistance to the wider community," he added. "By purchasing locally-produced food as well as using cash and voucher transfers, we aim to improve food consumption among vulnerable families and boost the local economy."
In 2014, WFP plans to assist 1.6 million food-insecure people in DRC, including IDPs in the five most conflict-affected provinces of the country (North Kivu, South Kivu, Katanga, Maniema and Orientale). For this, WFP requires US$ 21 million for the next six months. WFP depends entirely on voluntary contributions.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. On average, WFP reaches more than 90 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year.
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For more information, please contact (email address: firstname.surname@wfp.org): Djaounsede Pardon, WFP/Goma, Mobile +243 81 700 68 41 Claude Kalinga, WFP/Kinshasa, Mobile + 243 81 700 67 14 David Orr, WFP/Johannesburg, Mobile + 27 82 908 1417 Elisabeth Byrs, WFP/Geneva, Mobile + + 41 79 473 45 70
