from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopia Bureau
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – JAPAN has contributed around US$130 million to support vulnerable people in 37 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
This comes amid the deepening global hunger crisis.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed the contribution.
Among the Horn of Africa countries, some $5 million goes to Somalia for emergency food assistance in schools amid the ongoing drought crisis while $3,9 million will be allocated to Ethiopia for life-saving nutritional treatment for vulnerable children as well as pregnant and breast-feeding women affected by the recent conflict in the north.
Other main recipients are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine and Yemen.
“The Japanese support comes at a critical time when needs are skyrocketing amid a food crisis of unprecedented proportions,” said Naoe Yakiya, Director of the WFP Japan Relations Office.
“We are grateful for this generous contribution, which will enable us to save and change the lives of the most vulnerable people who are pushed to the brink.”
The other countries and regions benefitting from this year’s supplementary funding are: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya and Liberia.
Others are Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Gambia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
– CAJ News