The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Rwanda has said it will have to reduce the quantity of food rations provided to refugees due to critical funding.
The decision will affect approximately 135,000 refugees from both Burundi and DR Congo hosted in camps across the country, WFP said.
Emily Fredenberg, WFP Communications said, “due to critical funding shortfalls, WFP in Rwanda will have to reduce food assistance rations to all refugees living in camps,”
“The effected camps normally rely on humanitarian assistance from WFP to meet basic food needs each month. $9 million is urgently needed to ensure full assistance from March to June and $20.6 million to ensure continued coverage throughout 2021. If no new contributions are provided to WFP in the next few weeks, WFP will be forced to reduce rations for all refugees in March,” she said.
WFP provides a monthly cash transfer to buy food in local markets.
Each person receives 7.600 Frs for a full ration allocation. With the current funds available, WFP will be forced to reduce assistance by a dramatic 60% if additional funding is not received in the next few weeks.
Despite the situation, WFP plans to maintain rations of nutrition support to refugees identified as vulnerable such as children under two, school children, pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as people with HIV and those under tuberculosis treatment.
“The international community has been very supportive of refugees in Rwanda, and still we have received generous contributions but quiet unfortunately the funding gap remains too wide for us to avoid introducing reductions in the current funding situation,” she said.
“While we sincerely appreciate the generous support received thus far, we are also urgently appealing to donors to provide additional contributions so that WFP can avoid any longer-term negative impacts from ration reductions,” she urged.
She underscored that WFP understood that the number of crises around the world coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic have heavily impacted the availability of humanitarian funding in general.
With the support of UNHCR and MINEMA, WFP met with refugee leaders and members of refugee communities on Monday to inform them about the ration reduction.
Understandably, she noted that refugees are in desperation as most rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. She assured that MINEMA, UNHCR, WFP and other partners would continue to make every effort to show refugees that they are committed to providing the much-needed food assistance.
“WFP pledges to raise the ration as soon as we have resources to do so, and we are working tirelessly to secure this,” she noted.
Photo: Internet
Emma-Marie Umurerwa
emma@iribanews.com
