Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

South Sudan + 1 more

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

JUBA - 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."

Among other activities, WFP provides life-saving emergency food supplies, food and cash transfers in return for work to construct and rehabilitate community assets, school meals, and special nutritious products to prevent and treat malnutrition in children and pregnant and nursing women. 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.

# # #

The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

Follow us on Twitter wfp_southsudan and @wfp_africa

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Tomson Phiri, WFP South Sudan +211 911 743 925