Japan donates US$1.8 million as hunger remains high in South Sudan

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a US$1.8 million (JP¥ 200,000,000) contribution from Japan to help bolster food and nutrition security in South Sudan, where millions of people do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Japan’s new contribution, will enable WFP to reach 32,000 people in Western Bahr el Ghazal and Central Equatoria states with critical food assistance while they work on rehabilitating or constructing productive assets.

“This contribution reaffirms Japan’s willingness to support crucial interventions not only for ensuring human security, but also to meet basic human needs such as adequate food and nutrition,” said Seiji Okada, Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan at a ceremony in the capital Juba on Wednesday. “Our support is designed to sustain the most vulnerable to provide fulfilling lives.”

WFP and partners are scaling up to provide food assistance to as many as 4.8 million people through initiatives to address communities’ immediate needs while also engaging them in schemes such as the construction or repair of water systems to help them produce enough of their own food.

“We express our gratitude for the support received from Japan,” said Adnan Khan WFP Country Director. “The contribution could not have come at a better time. It will go a long way towards enabling WFP to meet the increased needs of the most vulnerable and help them become productive again.”

The Government of Japan has been funding food assistance to developing countries since 1968. Japan has supported WFP’s work in South Sudan since 2013, contributing more than US$35 million. The latest donation brought total contributions from Japan to WFP in the country to more than US$37 million.

Original source: WFP
Published on 20 September 2018