A ¥300 million (about K3.52 billion) donation from the Japanese government to the United Nations World Food Programme in Myanmar will benefit more than 140,000 people affected by food insecurity, the WFP said.
The “generous and timely contribution” will also help to improve nutrition levels among children and the ill, and increase resilience among the most vulnerable communities in Myanmar, the WFP said in a news release on December 8 after the donation was handed over at a ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw.
The contribution would enable WFP to buy 1,900 tonnes of pulses, salt and oil to benefit more than 140,000 food-insecure people in Kachin, Shan and Mon states and Magway and Sagaing regions, the UN agency said.
It said the contribution would support the recovery and treatment of malnourished children under the age of five, help people living with HIV and tuberculosis by meeting their basic nutrition needs, encourage children to complete their primary education by providing school meals, and assist in the building and repair of community assets, such as dams, fishing ponds and roads in the most vulnerable communities.
“We are very grateful to the Government of Japan, which remains our largest and most reliable funding partner in Myanmar,” Ms Naoe Yakiya, WFP deputy country director, said at the ceremony in the capital.
“In partnership with the Government of Myanmar, WFP will be able to continue its efforts to fight widespread food insecurity and malnutrition across the country,” she added, the news release said.
Yakiya was speaking after the donation was formally handed over by the Japanese ambassador, Mr Tateshi Higuchi. The government was represented at the ceremony by the Minister for Border Affairs, Lieutenant-General Ye Aung.
The WFP said it needs US$26 million to meet all food and cash assistance needs in Myanmar until June next year.
