France donates 1.5m Euros to WFP-Ethiopia
By Tesfa-alem Tekle
December 3, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — The Government of France donated a total sum of 1.5 million Euros fund to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support the various activities it executes in Ethiopia.
From the donated total sum, One million Euro of it will be used to provide food to individuals affected by HIV-AIDS, and the rest will be used to assist the acutely moderately malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women in the volatile Somali region of eastern Ethiopia, WFP said in a statement.
There are nearly five million orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia. Nearly 900,000 of these are orphans or have been made vulnerable due to HIV and AIDS, according to available data.
The donation comes after France and the UN food agency recently sign an agreement
“As WFP is currently facing significant funding shortfalls, this contribution is especially critical and will help us to continue reaching individuals who have been identified as particularly food insecure and vulnerable, especially acutely moderately malnourished children under the age of five years,” the statement quoted Mohamed Diab, WFP Country Director in Ethiopia as having stated.
French Ambassador to Ethiopia, Stéphane Gompertz, re-emphasized the importance of international cooperation to provide humanitarian assistance to the Ethiopian population, a large proportion of who are currently weathering the effects of a devastating drought and high food prices.
WFP said the French contribution will assist malnourished beneficiaries in different parts of the country, including in the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia, where generally high rates of global acute malnutrition amongst children and women are registered. “WFP will provide a supplementary food ration of fortified blended food and vegetable oil to beneficiaries on its Targeted Supplementary Food (TSF) Programme.”
Part of this latest donation from French Government will also be utilized by WFP to provide food to HIV/AIDS infected and affected households in urban areas, to help individuals meet their basic nutritional needs and develop their capacity to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS.
“The importance of offering adequate and proper nutrition to prolonging the physical well-being and productive life of people living with the HIV-AIDS virus cannot be over-stated,” remarked Mohamed Diab.
(ST)