Qatar Red Crescent Society’s (QRCS) relief team in South Sudan has completed the distribution of 187 tonnes of food supplies to 8,000 victims of famine in the Unity State.
The $300,000 project was conducted in partnership with Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) and the World Food Programme (WFP). A United Nations aircraft airdropped four batches of maize and cereals over inaccessible districts to reach the beneficiaries.
A handover ceremony was held at WFP’s district warehouse in Juba.
HE the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Hussein Maar Nyuot, WFP deputy county director Simon Cammelbeeck, QRCS representative Hassan al-Abbassi and KRCS representative Jassem Qanbar attended the event.
WFP presented its various activities in South Sudan at the meeting, and discussed how QRCS and KRCS can utilise their resources to facilitate humanitarian operations.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries and community leaders thanked Qatar and Kuwait “for their noble initiative in sending these much-needed food aids.”
The project comes in response to the several humanitarian appeals issued by the South Sudan Red Cross to save thousands of lives at risk of starvation.
More than 100,000 people are facing a widespread famine in several parts of the country, and 270,000 children already suffer severe malnutrition.
QRCS’s team held a meeting with officials of the South Sudan Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to discuss the workflow of joint humanitarian operations there.
The teams also visited WFP’s therapeutic nutrition centre in Juba, which takes care of malnourished children, mothers, and pregnant women Another visit was conducted to one of WFP’s 22 centres implementing a food security programme for vulnerable urban populations of Juba.
Through these centres, vulnerable families receive cash transfers to purchase their food needs, as well as community education sessions about nutrition, hygiene, food security, and livelihood.
Food aid airdropped over inaccessible districts to reach the beneficiaries.
