WFP to step up humanitarian assistance in Yemen
Xinhua, February 18, 2015 Adjust font size:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday said it is determined to continue its operations across Yemen despite the deepening political and security crisis in the country.
According to WFP Yemen Country Director Purnima Kashyap, in the coming weeks, WFP plans to start a school feeding program and provide take-home rations to some 115,000 girls regularly attending school.
Kashyap appealed to donors to continue their support, saying that WFP will need to mobilize 146 million U.S. dollars to support its main relief and recovery operations over the next 12 months.
"In these difficult times, WFP's role becomes even more important," Kashyap said, adding more than 40 percent of Yemenis were food insecure even before this crisis.
WFP is said to be able to reach some of the hardest-to-access parts of the country through its partner Yemeni NGOs and provide food assistance to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in conflict-affected areas.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, WFP is believed assisting some 80 million people in around 75 countries. Endit