The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a contribution of €10 million (approximately US$11.1 million) from the Government of Germany to support nearly 350,000 people in the eastern Sudan state of Kassala.
WFP will use the funds to provide food assistance to more than 88,400 refugees, migrants and asylum seekers from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia as well as members of their host communities, through general food distributions and food vouchers for one year.
“We are grateful to the German Government and people for this contribution which enables us to provide a package of assistance to vulnerable families in Kassala State,” said WFP Representative and Country Director Adnan Khan. “Refugees and asylum seekers have little to no means of securing their needs. Host communities have also been over-stretched and need support to improve their incomes through programmes that provide them with new skills to build community assets and contribute to the development of their areas.”
An additional 100,000 refugees and vulnerable Sudanese will receive monthly voucher assistance as part of WFP’s asset-creation and income-generating activities.
Germany’s contribution will additionally support school feeding for more than 46,500 school children. The grant will also help WFP purchase special nutrition supplements to treat and prevent moderate acute malnutrition among 112,000 pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five for one year.
Since 2012, Germany has provided a total of US$24.6 million to WFP operations in Sudan, including contributions to the WFP-operated UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). Germany continues to be among WFP Sudan’s top five donors.
“I am glad that Germany’s contribution can help towards improving the living conditions of refugees and asylum seekers and at the same time assist host communities and vulnerable Sudanese in eastern Sudan,” said Germany’s Ambassador to Sudan Rolf Welberts. “This is part of Germany’s continued commitment to address challenges caused by migration in Sudan and the Horn of Africa as a whole.”
WFP operations in Sudan remain among its largest and most complex, providing food assistance to vulnerable people in Darfur and other food insecure groups in the east and border areas to the south.
In 2016, WFP plans to assist 4.6 million vulnerable people in Sudan through a mix of activities which include general food distribution, school feeding, nutrition programmes and food assistance for assets and for training.
