DUSHANBE, December 14, 2011, Asia-Plus — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warmly welcomed a US$6 million donation from the Russian Federation that will go towards supporting the poorest families, schoolchildren and victims of natural disasters.
The largest humanitarian agency in Tajikistan, WFP is targeting more than half a million people throughout the country through development and recovery activities. WFP is implementing a number of projects that act as a safety net to protect families who are struggling to feed their families, to improve household food security as well as building up communities and promoting investment in people.
“This donation comes at a time when the resilience of the most vulnerable families will be once again tested by a resurgence of high prices for staple foods,” said WFP Country Director Alzira Ferreira. “This generous contribution will help WFP strengthen its social protection programs to mitigate the impact of high food prices on the poorest families and help them through the harsh winter months.”
WFP”s biggest activity is a school meals project that covers 60 percent of all primary schoolchildren in rural areas, providing 370,000 children with a hot meal every day.
WFP provides food assistance to nearly 130,000 people living in the food insecure and disaster prone regions of Khatlon, Sughd, GBAO and Rasht, and implements a food-for-work project for 30,000 people to help boost agriculture and food production. WFP is also providing food assistance to nearly 52,000 tuberculosis patients and their families.
“Russia is the biggest donor to WFP in Tajikistan, and this contribution will set an example for other donors to support these crucial programs,” Ferreira added. “We are indeed proud to be a trusted and efficient partner of the Russian Federation to channel this assistance.”
WFP is the world”s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.
In Tajikistan, WFP operations aim to improve household food security and promote investment in human capital. WFP also works on preserving and rehabilitating assets through recovery activities including food for education, food for work, support to tuberculosis patients and support to supplementary and therapeutic feeding programs.
