WFP welcomes Japanese contribution for people affected by cyclone in Mozambique
BEIRA/MAPUTO – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a contribution of US$ 6.9 million from the Government of Japan for the provision of food assistance to cyclone- and flood-affected people in Mozambique. The devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai, which made landfall north of Beira, Sofala province, on 14 March, left 1.85 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Thanks to these funds, WFP, working in close collaboration with the Government of Mozambique and other humanitarian partners, should be able to assist 350,000 disaster-affected people in the provinces of Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica.
“The cyclone and flooding have graphically underscored just how vulnerable Mozambicans are to climate shocks”, said WFP Mozambique Country Director Karin Manente. “Already high malnutrition rates in affected areas risk being aggravated by cholera and malaria.” This timely contribution from Japan will help vulnerable communities in need of sustained support get back on their feet. In the case of many subsistence farmers, that will take until the next main harvest in mid-2020.”
More than 700,000 hectares of crops – primarily maize – were washed away before the main April–May harvest. Other key sources of income, such as livestock and fisheries, were also badly affected.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to those who have suffered from Cyclone Idai”, said the Ambassador of Japan to Mozambique, H.E Toshio Ikeda. “The people and the Government of Japan express sincere solidarity with the affected population and hope that our support will help them to get through this difficult time.”
The contribution will enable WFP to provide food assistance to some 267,000 people and vouchers for 80,000 people which can be used in shops to acquire rations of rice or maize meal, dried beans or peas and fortified vegetable oil.
Since Cyclone Idai struck, WFP has reached 1.4 million people with food assistance and continues to expand its emergency response while planning recovery, reconstruction and resilience-building activities. Working in close coordination with the Government, the INGC (national disaster management agency), UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, WFP is aiming to assist 1.7 million people in urgent need of food and nutrition support.
The successful scale-up of WFP’s cyclone response has been made possible by the solidarity of partners, members of the international community and the private sector. Despite this significant support, however, US$ 73 million are urgently needed to support affected people between now and the middle of June.
The Government of Japan has been funding food assistance for developing countries since 1968 and is a long-standing partner of WFP in Mozambique.
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