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UN:
FOOD STOCKS FOR UGANDA'S FLOOD VICTIMS DANGEROUSLY LOW, UN AGENCY WARNS:
09/10/2007 (MaximsNews Network)
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UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network /
- 09 October 2007 -
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
warned today a shortage of funds for its relief operations in flood-hit parts of
Uganda could spell disaster for hundreds of thousands of people there.
“The
situation is dire for hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes,
their belongings and most of their crops,” said WFP Executive Director Josette
Sheeran.
She
pointed out that the consequences could be dire for the young. “It can take
just days for the effects of acute malnutrition to claim the life of a child.”
Massive
flooding this year in Uganda has badly affected some 300,000 people, with crop
losses in some areas as high as 90 per cent. And WFP warned that continued
flooding means normal planting in September and October will be delayed, with no
harvest until February at earliest.
The
agency needs $17 million to buy food for flood victims and $3.2 million to
provide trucks, boats, aircraft and emergency road and bridge repairs on behalf
of the humanitarian community.
So far,
WFP has helped thousands of hungry people and airlifted food and other
assistance by helicopter on behalf of other agencies to marooned communities.
But it
has received only one fifth of the amount in its flood appeal three weeks ago.
“We
are quickly running out of food, and before long, thousands of flood-hit
families will have nothing else to eat,” said Ms. Sheeran, adding that WFP has
been forced to bridge the food gap by drawing heavily from food stocks destined
for thousands of internally displaced people and refugees.
Without
new contributions, WFP's food assistance supply line for a total of 1.7 million
people in Uganda will break in December.
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
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