Off the wire
• S. Africa to accelerate offshore oil and gas exploration: president  • FTSE 100 closes lower by 0.04 pct  • Ghana's food authority probes cancer-causing agent in exported palm oil  • Alibaba, Tencent invest in Internet-TV startup  • Israeli PM announces major gas agreement to develop gas fields  • China's energy use slows in 2014  • LME base metals prices mostly decrease on Thursday  • Foreign exchange rate of euro to other currencies  • China to accelerate logistics network construction  • Germany's benchmark DAX index recovers  
You are here: 　 Home

WFP launches cash assistance for food needs in eastern Ukraine

Xinhua, August 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday announced that it has begun cash distributions in government controlled areas in Luhansk and Donetsk region in Ukraine to some 60,000 internally displaced people.

According to a press release issued Thursday, The first round of cash distributions began this week in northern Luhansk region through WFP's partner Mercy Corps.

WFP said that each person in the region will receive the equivalent of approximately 20.50 U.S. dollars per month to purchase food.

"WFP is using cash transfers, in areas where banks and markets are functioning, to restore some normalcy to people's otherwise shattered lives," said WFP's Representative in Ukraine Giancarlo Stopponi, who added that it will also give a boost to markets and inject money into the local economy.

According to WFP, as the conflict continues, people in the region are experiencing shortages of food and their nutritional status deteriorates, and the conflict in eastern Ukraine has affected 5 million people, including at least 1.7 million children.

Being the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, WFP is reportedly assisting some 80 million people in around 80 countries. Endit