$600, 000 set aside for refugees’ food

OVER $600, 000 has been set aside to support refugee food needs in Zambia’s Luapula Province by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Food for Peace Office (FFP), in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP).

USAID Zambia director, Patrick Diskin said that with funding provided by the American people, WFP Zambia would procure 800 metric tons of food, enough to feed roughly 15, 000 refugees for three months. Mr Diskin said in a statement made available by Embassy of the United States of America in Zambia public affairs officer, Sean McIntosh that most of the donation would consist of locally-purchased cereals, beans, and peas. He said that the procurement would come from smallholder farmers and local aggregators to help benefit local wholesalers and stimulate the economy, while also being cost-effective for reaching nearby refugee settlements. Mr Diskin said that through Food for Peace, the United States was helping meet the food needs of refugees in Zambia and around the world. “The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to a significant influx of refugees into Zambia. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Zambian government Office of the Commissioner for Refugees estimate that 15,000 people have crossed into Luapula Province in Northern Zambia since August 2017, 80 percent of whom are women and children,” he said. And WFP Zambia country director, Jennifer Bitonde acknowledged United States support in promoting food security for the Congolese refugees in Zambia’s Nchelenge district. “This contribution is an important signal that the refugees are not being forgotten, and a recognition of WFP’s efforts to respond to their plight,” said Bitonde.