Left to Right, Murcus Prior the WFP Deputy country Director, Minister Hillary Onek and Japan Ambassodor Fukazawa Hidemoto showing rice donated to refugees
The Minister
for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Hillary Onek has called on
the international community to increase funding for Uganda to enable it to feed
the growing population of refugees.
Engineer Onek appealed while receiving 2000 metric tons of rice worth 8.5 billion Uganda
Shillings donated by Japan to feed refugees.
Onek revealed that currently refugees are feeding on one
meal a day, and some have started involving in unacceptable activities like
stealing from people’s gardens to survive.
He added that the issue of refugees
is not Uganda’s problem, it is an international problem where the world has to
help Uganda feed the refugees.
//Cue in: “The World Food Program…
Cue out…just also to survive”. //
The minister applauded the government of Japan for its consistent
support of Uganda’s refugees. He added that Japan has been improving on the
funding to Uganda to support the growing numbers of
refugees.
Fukazawa Hidemoto, the Japanese ambassador to Uganda noted
that the food prices have continued to rise due to Russian aggression against Ukraine. He said the war has worsened the food and energy situation in the world.
The ambassador pledged that his country will continue to
support the medium and long-term approaches to assistance to mitigate food and
nutrition insecurity situation in the refugee settlements.
//Cue in: “For the human security…
Cue out…dreams come true”. //
Marcus Prior the Deputy Country Director of the World Food
Program in Uganda said that Japan’s contribution will help the World Food
Program to provide meals to 50, 000 new arriving refugees from South Sudan, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Somalia, and Sudan.
He added that after
consultations with refugees and key stakeholders, the World Food Program is now
prioritizing the most vulnerable refugees for food assistance.
He also noted that refugees that are categorized as vulnerable
receive 60 percent of the size of regular food rations and the less vulnerable have
been weaned off the assistance and connected to the long-term livelihood
assistance. The new arrivals receive a 100 percent of food ration for the first
3 months.
//Cue in: “Today we are here…
Cue out…next year or two”. //
The World Food Program has bought over 75000 tons
of maize and over 35000 tons of beans and they spend 5 million dollars every
month to give to refugees WFP noted the current support it is still not sufficient given the growing numbers
of refugees of over 1.6 million refugees.
Fred Kayongo Male
Freelancer