BY DAVID MAFABI
KAMPALA
KAMPALA —The United Kingdom has announced Shs 41 Billion [£9 million] funding to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Shs 9 billion [£2 million] funding to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The humanitarian support is meant to provide life-saving nutrition, food assistance, and protection to refugees and their host communities and to vulnerable women and children in the Karamoja region.
Uganda is hosting over 1.5 million refugees, the largest refugee population in Africa with about 80% women and children.
The conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan continue to cause forced displacement of people to Uganda, with more than 86,000 refugees arriving so far in 2022 that have stretched limited resources.
According to WFP, the current drought affecting the East Africa region has worsened the situation with more than 500,000 people in need of food assistance, about 100,000 children, and pregnant and lactating women acutely malnourished.
Her Excellency Kate Airey OBE, the British High Commissioner to Uganda, while speaking about the funding said “the UK applauds the longstanding partnerships with WFP and UNICEF. They have a strong record of reaching the most vulnerable with critical support in times of crisis.”
Ms Esther Anyakun, the State minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees said the refugee food rations have been dwindling as needs continued to rise and that the Karamoja region is currently battling with acute food shortages and malnutrition, especially among vulnerable women and children.
She explained that this lifesaving donation will go a long way to alleviate these challenges and that as a government they are committed to working with the UK as a key development partner to save millions of people in need.’
“With food insecurity and malnutrition among children reaching critical levels, the funding UNICEF is receiving today from the UK Government is crucial,” said Ms Anyakun.
“With this funding, UNICEF will sustain and expand the provision of therapeutic feeding and child protection services. UNICEF thanks the Government of the United Kingdom for this timely support for vulnerable children and women in Karamoja and in refugee hosting districts” said Mr Munir Safieldin, UNICEF’s Representative to Uganda.
Mr Abdirahman Meygag, the WFP Uganda Country Representative said the soaring food and fuel prices are combining with an unpredictable climate to push more people into poverty and hunger.
“And with the contribution from the UK, we shall be able to give food assistance to the most vulnerable – refugees and the people of Karamoja who are currently experiencing unacceptable levels of food insecurity,” said Mr Meygag.
He said giving emergency food assistance is the first step in enabling those hit by crisis to get back on their feet and contribute meaningfully to their communities and that with this contribution, they shall not only give general food assistance but also specifically target children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women with malnutrition treatment.
“And with this contribution, the fate of many children will be rewritten as we enable them to beat malnutrition, have better life outcomes, and a brighter future,” added Mr Meygag. Ends
