PORT-AU-PRINCE – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) will launch an emergency operation to provide assistance to 1 million people whose lives have been devastated by three years of drought exacerbated by the weather phenomenon El Nino.
An estimated 3.6 million people suffer from food insecurity, this represents a third of the population of Haiti. Among them, 1.5 million suffer from severe food insecurity and do not know how to get their next meal, according to a study conducted by WFP and the National Coordination for Food Security.
“We must immediately come to the aid of Haitians who are suffering from hunger. Drought and poverty should not force a child to go to bed hungry, ”said Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director, after a three-day visit to Haiti during which she met communities affected by drought.
The study found that the main spring 2015 harvest was affected, with almost three-quarters of farmers reporting losing more than 82 percent of their production. For the 2016 spring harvest, 65 percent of families said they would not plant due to lack of agricultural inputs. This meager harvest has resulted in price increases of up to 60 percent.
“We can help save lives now and preserve livelihoods. We need to work with government, local communities and other partners on long-term capacity development and climate resilient agriculture programs, ”said Ertharin Cousin. “The poorest Haitians living in vulnerable areas must have the capacity to cope with climate disasters. By working together we can start to build a future of zero hunger ”.
WFP initially responded with food distributions in Haiti for two months for 120,000 people. With the new emergency operation, WFP will provide assistance to 1 million people as Haiti enters the lean season which lasts from March to June. During this period, food stocks from the past year are running out.
About 700,000 people in Haiti will receive cash transfers to enable the poorest and most vulnerable to buy food while helping to strengthen the local economy. In addition, another 300,000 people will receive both cash transfers and food.
Secondly, 200,000 people will receive food in exchange for their work on water management and soil conservation projects, so that communities can plant small vegetable gardens. WFP plans to assist pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as young children with a special cereal blend fortified with vitamins and minerals to prevent malnutrition.
While responding to the drought, WFP aims to maintain its school feeding program, which today represents the country’s largest food safety net. WFP’s school meals program supports the Government’s efforts to establish a self-managed national program by 2030.
In coordination with the National School Canteens Program, WFP provides hot meals to 485,000 children in more than 1,700 schools in nine of Haiti’s ten departments. But without additional donations, the program will only benefit 320,000 children from May.
WFP cannot implement any of these programs in Haiti without additional contributions. WFP needs $ 72 million for its emergency drought response from April to September, and $ 7 million to fully maintain its school feeding program until the end of the school year next.
WFP is grateful for the already confirmed contribution of the European Commission to this new emergency operation in Haiti as well as for the announced contribution of the United States.
WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger in the world by distributing food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve their nutritional status and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in nearly 75 countries:
