WFP welcomes Germany’s food aid contribution to South Sudan

June 22, 2021 (JUBA) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €5.7 million ($6.68 million) from Germany to provide life-saving food assistance to thousands of people in South Sudan this year.

The donation, WFP said in a statement, comes at a critical time when funding is scarce, and the country faces alarmingly high rates of food insecurity due to conflict, floods and rising poverty.

According to aid agencies, South Sudan is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis with 7.2 million people–60 percent of the population–facing acute food insecurity and 1.4 million children under five years of age and half a million pregnant and breastfeeding women expected to suffer from acute malnutrition.

Germany’s contribution will provide food and nutrition assistance to over 150,000 vulnerable people in the most food-insecure areas, WFP said, stressing that it gave food and nutrition assistance to more than five million people across the country in 2020.

“We are grateful to Germany and its people for supporting South Sudan at this critical time when multiple crises and conflict mean more and more people cannot support themselves and their families,” said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Representative and Country Director in South Sudan.

“WFP relies on predictable funding from donors to support vulnerable families who need food assistance to survive,” he added.

Janika Walter, Chargeé d’Affaires and Head of Cooperation of the German Embassy in South Sudan said Germany hopes that the additional funding will contribute mitigating the suffering of vulnerable people on the brink of starvation, at a time when more South Sudanese than ever before need humanitarian assistance.

“We commend WFP for its continuous efforts to operate in such a challenging environment to improve the lives of South Sudanese families,” he said.

Germany is a long-standing partner of WFP and has supported its work in South Sudan since 2011.

(ST)