UN World Food Programme Welcomes Japanese Contribution To Its Operations In Mozambique

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2016-12-20

The Government of Japan has contributed $US2.7 million to UN World Food Programme (WFP) operations in Mozambique. This will allow us to assist more than 82,000 drought-hit farmers in Gaza and Sofala provinces for three months, through programmes designed to restore livelihoods and improve resilience to climate change.

Some 1.4 million people in Mozambique are now food insecure. This could rise to 2.3 million during the peak of the January-March lean season, according to latest assessment from the Mozambique Vulnerability Assessment Committee.

“We would like to express our gratitude for the support received from Japan,” said Country Representative and Director Karin Manente. “This will go a long way towards enabling WFP meet the needs of the most vulnerable and help them become productive again.”

WFP has been reaching some 555,000 people with life-saving assistance in areas affected by drought across Mozambique. In January, WFP and partners plan to scale-up assistance to reach 700,000 people through food distributions, school meals and projects involving the creation of assets such as irrigation systems, which will help communities better withstand extreme weather shocks.

“I’m very pleased to be able to express the solidarity of Japanese citizens with Mozambicans at a time when they are facing such hardship,” said the Ambassador of Japan to Mozambique, H.E Akira Mizutani, at a handover ceremony in Chokwe district, in Gaza province north of the capital, Maputo. “Japan wants to help the people of this country to become food secure. We will continue to work for the sustainable development of Mozambique and its people.”

In the early months of the year, Mozambique is often hit by floods and cyclones which destroy infrastructure and people’s livelihoods. At other times of the year, however, the country is prone to drought, which can cause widespread loss of crops and livestock, leading to hunger among more vulnerable communities.

The Government of Japan has been funding food assistance to developing countries since 1968 and is a long-standing partner of WFP’s mission in Mozambique.

Source:World Food Programme

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