Children in Haiti eat a hot meal provided by the UN and partners at school.
Addressing root causes of hunger
WFP has assisted some 1.4 million people to date, and aims to reach about 2.2 million by the end of the year. Support includes the distribution of cash-based transfers, with over $31 million disbursed so far, along with over 7,500 metric tonnes of food.
‘With the growing numbers of IDPs and the recent deportations of Haitians from Dominican Republic, WFP continues to provide hot meals which are really, really essential to meet life-saving needs,” she said.
In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, WFP stands with Haitians in addressing the structural causes of hunger and ensuring long-term development.
In this regard she pointed to its school meals programme, carried out jointly with the Government, with over half a million children benefiting. Roughly 70 per cent of the ingredients used are locally produced and sourced.
Supporting local farmers
Each month and during the school year, WFP purchases about $1.7 million worth of commodities from small-holder farmers, targeting over 6,000 this year alone from 150 farmer organizations.
“This is important, particularly as it boosts the local economy and supports the local smallholder farmers and allows for strong supply chain resilience,” she said.
WFP also works on social protection and has helped the Government to create a database that contains around 30 per cent of the population.
This year, some 125,000 Haitians received cash transfers, giving them “the dignity of choice to be able to purchase what they see as the essential needs to fulfill some of their basic needs, while also contributing to the local economy.”
More investment needed
Ms. Castro, the WFP Regional Director, noted that the school meals programme helps to keep children in the classroom and “creates some sort of stability and normalcy”.
Yet, with 6,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, more needs to be done.
“Our priority is to save lives,” she said, speaking from Panama. “But also, we need to continue investing in areas where it’s possible to procure food, to reduce undernutrition, to strengthen the social protection system and the education system.”
She recalled that humanitarians have launched a $642 million plan for Haiti, “but it is only 42 per cent funded, and we are in October. So really, we need to do much more, and much better, as the international community.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-25 10:12:00
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