FILE/KENYA: U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) cuts food rations in world's biggest refugee camp due to lack of resources

Record ID: 274454

  • Title: FILE/KENYA: U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) cuts food rations in world's biggest refugee camp due to lack of resources
  • Date: 1st November 2013
  • Summary: DADAAB, KENYA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TENTS AT DADAAB REFUGEE CAMP VARIOUS REFUGEES SITTING VARIOUS OF WOMAN COOKING NAIROBI, KENYA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHANIS MCBONOUGH, WFP REGIONAL INFORMATION OFFICER WORKING IN HER OFFICE POSTER ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHANIS MCBONOUGH, WFP REGIONAL INFORMATION OFFICER, SAYING: "Now because of a shortage of fund
  • Embargoed: 16th November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: International Relations,Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVADPX9ISCAAU9MADEL7G0Q5VWBA
  • Story Text: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have announced that beginning Friday (November 01), WFP will be forced to reduce food rations for more than half a million refugees in the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps due to lack of funding.
    Ration sizes will be reduced by 20 percent in November and December in order to stretch existing food stocks to last through the end of the year, according to the WFP.
    WFP's refugee operation in Kenya has faced severe funding challenges over the last year.
    "Now because of a shortage of funds we are running out of food so we have had to reduce the rations the refugees are receiving by 20 percent, which means that they are getting 1,680 kilo-calories a day and that is obviously not ideal especially given that a number of these people are still recovering from the effects of severe malnutrition from the drought crisis of 2011 and the famine in Somalia," Chanis McBonough, WFP Regional Information Officer told Reuters in Nairobi.
    The WFP needs about 10 million US dollars every month to distribute more than 10,000 tonnes of food to refugees in two camps, Dadaab - the world's largest - and Kakuma, both in northern Kenya.
    Most of the refugees are Somalis.
    While reduced rations will allow food distributions to continue for the 535,000 camp-based refugees through the end of the year, further cuts may be necessary if no additional resources become available, as food stocks will be nearly exhausted by January, WFP said.
    McBonough says the numbers of refugees coming into Kenya, especially the Dadaab refugee camp increased significantly during a 2011 famine that gripped Somalia and drought in the larger Horn of Africa region that affected 12 million people.
    "The core issue I think is that there are just so many more people than there used to be. In 2011 there was an enormous influx of refugees because of the Horn of Africa drought crisis and those numbers have not gone back down and people are still there and so the amount of food that they require each month is significant. Basically, we require 10,000 metric tonnes of food per month. That costs about 10 million dollars per month in order to be able to make sure that people get enough to eat," she said.
    A recently confirmed contribution of 20 million US dollars from the United States is expected to be available for distribution of food from the beginning of March 2014, but WFP will require an additional 20 million for January and February to cover a gap in critical food and nutrition assistance to refugees, the majority of whom have no other source of food.
    WFP is urging donors to respond to its urgent appeal as quickly as possible in order to meet the nutritional requirements of the refugees.
    "We believe that the donors understand the seriousness of the situation and the importance of continuing a vital food lifeline to the refugees and so we do hope that there will be a response that will allow us to resume rations at full size as soon as possible," said McBonough.
    WFP has been providing food assistance, consisting of cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and salt, to thousands of refugees from across the region since the camps in Dadaab and Kakuma were established more than 20 years ago.
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