Italy Joins WFP In Supporting Vulnerable People In Sudan

WFP will use the contribution of around €500,000 (approximately US$545,000) to provide food assistance for nearly three months to more than 13,000 South Sudanese who have sought refuge in two localities in Sudan’s South Kordofan state.  WFP’s food basket includes sorghum - a food staple in Sudan - as well as pulses, oil and salt.  

“Italy is always on the frontline in supporting the vulnerable people here in Sudan.   Our mission is to help people in need and WFP has proven to be our reliable partner in doing so in the last years,” said Italian Ambassador to Sudan Fabrizio Lobasso.  

WFP is currently assisting more than 100,000 South Sudanese who have fled conflict at home and are now in the states of South Kordofan, North Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile in Sudan.

For many years, Italy has been one of WFP’s most reliable partners in its efforts to reduce hunger in Sudan. More recently, Italy has provided significant funding to WFP’s school feeding and food for training programmes in the states of Kassala and Red Sea in eastern Sudan. Thanks to Italy, WFP has continued to promote the participation of girls in school and to boost literacy among adult women who missed school when they were young due to social and cultural norms.

“Italy has been exceptional in its support to our efforts in eastern and central Sudan. With this particular contribution, we will be able to expand the reach of our assistance to the South Sudanese who have fled conflict in their country and entered Sudan,” said WFP Representative and Country Director Adnan Khan.

Sudan remains one of WFP’s largest and most complex operations, providing food assistance to people suffering from conflict, displacement and chronic under-nourishment in Darfur, along with vulnerable groups in the east and border areas to the south.

For the first half of the year, WFP responded to the food security and nutritional needs of 3.7 million people including 2.8 million vulnerable people in the conflict-affected region of Darfur. From July, WFP will assist 2.3 million people including 1.8 million displaced people. WFP aims to reach all of them with life-saving food assistance and nutrition programmes, as well as recovery and resilience-building activities that help communities to become self-reliant.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.

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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Amor Almagro, WFP/Khartoum, Tel. +249 183248001 (ext. 2114), Mob. +249 912174853

Abdulaziz Abdulmomin, WFP/Khartoum, Tel. +249 183248001 (ext. 2123), Mob. +249 912167055

Ahmed Eltayeb, WFP/Khartoum, Tel. +249183248001 (ext. 2110), Mob. +249 912505210