São Paulo – The lack of funds and donations is impacting the support that the World Food Programme (WFP) offers to approximately one million displaced people in Iraq. According to date released this Monday (10th) by the United Nation’s program, the amount of food distributed to the displaced families will be cut in half and the stamps that the institutions transfer for those in need will have the value reduced from US$ 26 to US$ 16.
Food distribution will be reduced, according to the WFP, because the institution doesn’t have enough money to meet the demand. In all, US$ 78.1 million is needed until the end of the year to keep the support program to the displaced in Iraq. However, the program still hasn’t received 61% of this total.
Another measure adopted by the WFP was to reduce food transferring to the people that aren’t displaced and that live outside of the refugee camps run by the United Nations.
“Unfortunately, lack of funds and the rise in the number of displaced Iraqis forces us to reduce the size of the food ration we provide to tens of thousands of families living outside camps”, said the WFP representative and country director in Iraq, Jane Pearce, in the WFP’s statement.
According to the WFP, approximately three million people left their home in Iraq due to the conflicts. Last year, WFP was able to increase the number of people it attended to in Iraq from 240,000 to 1.8 million due to “generous donations” by companies, people and governments. Without the donations, the institution is not able to attend all those in need.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
