WFP Reaches Vulnerable Communities In Abyei With Life-Saving Food Assistance

A one-month food ration will be distributed to over 15,000 people in need in five locations in the area.  The distribution, which started Monday and reached over 7,900 people up until now, will continue in the coming days.  

Results of a rapid food security and nutrition assessment carried out in June in ten areas northeast of Abyei town indicate that the food security situation among communities living in these areas remains fragile following three consecutive poor harvests.  The assessment also shows that 8.4 percent of children under five years of age are moderately malnourished and a high Global Acute Malnutrition rate – 11.4 percent – persists among pregnant women and nursing mothers.   

“While WFP in South Sudan has been providing assistance to other areas of Abyei over the past few years, the recent assessment has allowed us to identify humanitarian needs and gaps in previously unsupported locations that must be addressed both over the short and long terms,” said WFP Country Director Adnan Khan.

There are plans to support livelihood activities that will contribute to increasing agricultural production and improving water management systems through the creation of community assets such as haffirs for rainwater harvesting and dams.  Nutrition programmes designed to prevent further deterioration of the nutrition status of young children and their mothers will also be implemented.   

“Beyond providing life-saving food assistance, we are also looking at sustainable solutions which will enhance the food security and nutrition situation of vulnerable people living in these areas,” said Khan.  “WFP is grateful for the assistance that the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei, the Humanitarian Aid Commission and the government have given us, which enabled us to carry out the assessment, the delivery and distribution of much-needed food assistance.  We will continue to rely on their support when we start implementing other activities in the near future.”  

In 2014, WFP plans to assist 4.1 million people across Sudan, 3.2 million of whom are in the conflict-affected region of Darfur through general food distributions, food for training, food for work, school feeding and nutrition programmes to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition among women and children.  

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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. In 2013, WFP assisted more than 80 million people in 75 countries.

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