Per week after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched a $60 million emergency food and diet help for three million of essentially the most at-risk Sri Lankan nationals, Australia got here ahead with 22 million Australian greenback assist (equal to $15 million) on Wednesday.
The Australian funding will assist WFP present vital help to essentially the most at-risk Sri Lankans, together with pregnant and breastfeeding ladies and college kids.
“To boost existing social safety net programmes, WFP is working to assist one million children through the national school meal programme, while one million people are participating in the Thriposha programme, which provides fortified food to mothers and children,” WFP mentioned in an announcement.
The WFP had on June 16 launched its $60 million emergency food and diet help for three million of essentially the most at-risk Sri Lankans who’re going through food insecurity within the face of a report excessive food inflation, skyrocketing gas costs and widespread scarcity of key commodities.
Monthly food vouchers are being distributed to pregnant ladies from a number of the poorest neighbourhoods, delivered alongside antenatal care supplied by the native authorities in Sri Lanka.
Welcoming the help by Australia, WFP mentioned, “At a time when millions of people are struggling to meet their most basic food needs, and while families’ coping capacities are being stretched to the limit, we can avert a worsening humanitarian crisis by stepping up our response now.”
John Aylieff, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, mentioned that just about 5 million individuals — or 22 per cent of the Sri Lankan inhabitants — are food insecure and in want of help.
Nutritious meals, resembling greens, fruits and protein-rich merchandise, are actually out of the attain of many low-income households.
WFP’s latest surveys indicated that 86 per cent of the households are resorting to no less than one coping mechanism, together with consuming much less, consuming much less nutritious food and even skipping meals altogether.
–IANS
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