The French government has contributed USD$1.29 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food and nutrition assistance to thousands of people starving in South Sudan.
French ambassador to S.Sudan Marc Trouyet says they are glad to participate again this year in the WFP’s nutrition assistance operations which he says is an essential for the survival of the South Sudanese population hinting that, while new hotspots with rising humanitarian needs and deteriorating food security have recently emerged globally, France wishes to reaffirm its support to the people of South Sudan who are facing a catastrophic situation
The WFP acting director S. Sudan cluster Adeyinka Badejo, while receiving this donation on Wednesday says, the contribution will facilitate them in providing specialized nutrition assistance for the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in 24,222 children between the age range of 6-23 months, as well as pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers adding that, 25,000 people mainly women will also receive training and awareness-raising sessions in nutrition best practices.
Badejo upholds that WFP has extensive experience implementing nutrition programmes in S. Sudan to prevent or treat moderate, acute, or even chronic malnutrition cases highlighting the timing of this contribution is so critical because S.Sudan is now facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis as it is witnessed in the sharp rise of the number of malnourished children in some of whom the look of despair in their faces is unsettling.
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report shows that the number of food insecure people has increased in South Sudan from 7.2 million in 2021 to 7.74 million in 2022. It is also estimated that around 1.34 million children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition, with the most affected states being Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal.
