The European Union (EU) announced Tuesday it is providing €9.5 million in humanitarian funding to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food and nutrition support to tens of thousands of people as hunger persists in South Sudan.
The contribution, the EU said in a statement, will provide life-saving food and nutrition assistance to more than 700,000 vulnerable people, including people who had to flee their homes, malnourished pregnant and nursing women, children under the age of five and refugees living in South Sudan.
Of this, it stressed, 520,000 people will receive cash assistance to buy food and basic commodities from local markets, thereby allowing households to acquire what they need the most and helping rural economies by injecting much-needed cash into them.
“Millions of people in South Sudan need food assistance,” said Christos Stylianides, the EU’s Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, adding that “With this aid package, we are helping the most vulnerable, particularly women and children.”
“We are very grateful to the European Union for this contribution which comes at a critical time,” said Ute Klamert, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Advocacy.
“Although the food security situation has slightly improved, there is an urgent need to continue providing life-saving support to people at risk of hunger. Food assistance saves lives and can help build communities’ resilience to allow them to sustain themselves in the future,” she added.
South Sudan’s food security situation remains dire with 4.5 million people reportedly needing food and nutrition support until the end of the year.