Italy gives WFP $545,000 to assist S. Sudanese refugees in Sudan
July 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The government of Italy has contributed $545,000 to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support the needs of conflict-affected South Sudanese who have fled to Sudan.
The Italian ambassador to Khartoum Fabrizio Lobasso said his country is always on the front-line in supporting the vulnerable people here in Sudan, stressing that their mission is to help people in need.
“The WFP has proven to be our reliable partner in doing so in the last years,” he added.
The WFP representative and country director Adnan Khan, for his part, said that Italy has been exceptional in its support to their efforts in eastern and central Sudan.
“With this particular contribution, we will be able to expand the reach of our assistance to the South Sudanese who have fled conflict in their country and entered Sudan,” he added.
WFP is currently assisting more than 100,000 South Sudanese who have fled conflict at home and are now in the states of South Kordofan, North Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile in Sudan.
It should be mentioned that the WFP’s food basket includes sorghum ( a food staple in Sudan ) as well as pulses, oil and salt.
According to the statement, for many years, Italy, for many years, has been one of WFP’s most reliable partners in its efforts to reduce hunger in Sudan.
More recently, Italy has provided significant funding to WFP’s school feeding and food for training programmes in the states of Kassala and Red Sea in eastern Sudan.
“Thanks to Italy, WFP has continued to promote the participation of girls in school and to boost literacy among adult women who missed school when they were young due to social and cultural norms,” the statement reads.
Sudan remains one of WFP’s largest and most complex operations, providing food assistance to people suffering from conflict, displacement and chronic under-nourishment in Darfur, along with vulnerable groups in the east and border areas to the south.
During the first half of the year, WFP responded to the food security and nutritional needs of 3.7 million people including 2.8 million vulnerable people in Darfur. From July, WFP will assist 2.3 million people including 1.8 million displaced people.
WFP aims to reach all of them with life-saving food assistance and nutrition programmes, as well as recovery and resilience-building activities that help communities become self-reliant.
(ST)