The World Food Programme (WFP), said it welcomed the progress made by the Federal Government and the humanitarian community in fighting hunger and malnutrition in the Northeast, Nigeria.
“You can see the tremendous progress achieved in a matter of months,” the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin said in a statement.
Cousin said WFP visited to Pompomari camp for the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Damaturu, who fled from Boko Haram militants in Yobe and Borno.
“Children who could barely stand just last November are now on the road to recovery.
“They will continue to require our assistance in the coming months. The work of the international community in Nigeria is not over yet,” she said.
She said by December 2016, an agile response, combining rapid air-and-road interventions, enabled WFP and partners to reach more than a million people in need, particularly in these high risk areas.
“And while some areas remain inaccessible, organisations are working together to reach as many as 1.8 million vulnerable people in the first quarter of 2017.
“At Pompomari camp, which hosts some 2,000 IDPs, WFP provides cash assistance in the form of money credited electronically to mobile phones. The spending helps to stimulate local markets.
“To prevent and treat child malnutrition, children under the age of five receive a highly nutritious, peanut-based supplement, while pregnant and nursing women receive nutritional support.
“However, amid concerns over continued funding, Cousin sounded a note of caution.
“The world should not wait for babies to die before taking action,” she warned.
The head of the UN food relief agency appealed to the international community not to prioritise one hungry child over another.
No comments:
Post a Comment