Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 18th July. World food Programme reported on Monday has reduced the emergency food assistance in Haiti due to a lack of funding, affected 100,000 people.
The agency said half of its population, approximately 4.9 million people, unable to access sufficient food.
Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP Country Director for Haiti said “It’s tragic being unable to reach some of the most vulnerable Haitians this month. These cuts could not come at a worse time, as Haitians face a multi-layered humanitarian crisis, their lives and livelihoods upended by violence, insecurity, economic turmoil and climate shocks.”
“Unless we receive immediate funding, further devastating cuts cannot be ruled out.”
WFP noted similar crises arising from reduced funding have led to significant cuts in emergency aid provision.
In West Africa, the number of individuals receiving crucial assistance from the WFP has been reduced from 11.6 million to around 6.2 million.
In Syria, the agency reduced the number of people receiving food aid from 5.5 million people to 3 million who are being prioritized.
The agency reported that in Jordan, 50,000 out of 465,000 refugees will see their support cut.
WFP’s response plan in Haiti for the first half of 2023 is only 16 per cent funded, a shortfall of $121 million needed to sustain vital humanitarian assistance until the end of the year.
WFP was able to provide 450,000 school children in Haiti with a hot meal.
It said that without additional funds, half of these children will lose access to school meals when they return to class after the summer break.
Mr. Bauer said “We are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve so far in 2023, thanks to support from our donors. We have the people, the plan, and the capacity to continue, but at this point, without immediate funding, we’re forced to make cuts which mean thousands of the most vulnerable Haitians won’t receive assistance this year.”
“This isn’t the time to cut back. It’s the time to step up. We can’t let Haitians down when they need us the most,” he added.
Comments are closed.