WFP Welcomes Contribution from USA To Support Pakistanis In Need

The most vulnerable people in Pakistan will continue to receive assistance from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) thanks to a contribution of US$25m from the United States government. The donation was announced by the ‘Food for Peace’ Office of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a news release said. USAID will allow WFP to carry on with programmes providing food, cash and education for families in the poorest parts of Pakistan, as well as working to improve the nutrition of women and children throughout the country.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in 80 countries.

The cash contribution from the US will allow WFP to arrange for the milling, fortification and packaging of the wheat, so that those in need can receive flour to make bread, as well as yellow split peas, vegetable oil and iodised salt to make ‘dhal’, a kind of stew. In addition, the US donation will enable WFP to continue its work to improve the health and nutrition of young children across the country. Good nutrition during a child’s early years is crucial for full physical and mental development, but the latest national nutrition survey found that 15 percent of children under 5 are acutely malnourished, the second highest rate in the region.
WFP works with the Government of Pakistan, UNICEF and local organizations on the Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition, known as CMAM.

Over the years, Pakistan has made gains becoming a food surplus country, and a major producer of wheat. A recent reduction in the prices of staple foods and a concurrent decline in inflation might increase access to food if the trends continue.

However, 60 percent of the population is still facing food insecurity. This is due primarily to limited economic access by the poorest and most vulnerable – particularly women – to an adequate and diverse diet.

An average Pakistani household spends 50.8 percent of monthly income on food, and shocks, including high food prices, flooding, and significant population displacement in the northwest since 2008 exacerbate the situation.

The latest national nutrition survey found that 15 percent of children under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition, the second highest rate in the region. Close to 44 percent of children in the same age group are stunted, 32 percent are underweight and the  majority of children under 2 consume less than half of their daily energy requirements, with low levels of vitamins and minerals.

As a result of social and cultural norms and practices, women and girls face difficulties accessing humanitarian assistance and services. Girls’ access to education, especially in areas like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the Frontier Regions and Balochistan, remains a challenge, and there is a strong correlation between their level of education and all forms of undernutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight). Nationwide, 7.3 million children of primary school age are not enrolled, 57 percent of whom are girls.

The World Food Programme (WFP)’s work in Pakistan is aligned Government priorities as defined in their Vision 2025. WFP supports Government-led efforts to improve food and nutrition security among vulnerable communities affected by law and order operations and the effects of recurring climatic events; work with communities in the most hazard-prone parts of the country to build resilience; address malnutrition; create an enabling environment for women to achieve social and economic equality and facilitate the voluntary return of the displaced in the northwest, as well as assist those still in displacement.

The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. From its headquarters in Rome and from more than 80 country offices around the world, the WFP works to help people who cannot produce or obtain enough food for themselves and their families. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee.