EU And UK Support WFP To Save Lives Among Most Vulnerable In Niger | WPN World People News

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) have contributed EUR 10.7 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in order to provide vital food assistance for some 755,000 people in Niger.

“We express our sincerest gratitude to the European Union and the UK government for their continued and unfailing support,” said WFP Representative and Country Director in Niger, Sory Ouane. “This has been another difficult year for hundreds of thousands of people in Niger due to the changing climate’s impact on agriculture on one hand and regional insecurity on the other. Thanks to the timely support from ECHO and UK Aid, WFP can now ensure that entire families don’t go hungry.”

Refugees, returnees, internally displaced people and the most vulnerable women, men and children at the heart of WFP emergency operations in Niger benefit from this lifeline thrown by the EU and the UK. In the Diffa region – which has been affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad basin – more than 210,000 people are receiving assistance thanks to EU and UK support. At Niger’s border with Mali – an area also facing great instability – this contribution is supporting more than 60,000 Malian refugees with food assistance.

In addition, thanks to ECHO and UK support, WFP has provided food assistance to some 290.000 vulnerable people during the lean season, when food stocks are low and fields are not yet producing crops. During this season, the most vulnerable people are more likely to leave their homes in search of a way to feed themselves. Recent studies in Niger have shown that people receiving WFP food and nutrition assistance are less likely to migrate during these challenging times and are better equipped to tend to their land, bring in income, and provide for their families throughout the year.

Source:World Food Programme