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The Times of Central Asia (4 April 2018)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on April 3 it has donated $25 million USD to the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Afghanistan Protractive Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) to provide cash-based and food assistance to nearly 1.7 million Afghans, TOLOnews reported.

Most of these Afghans are women and children affected by conflict, natural disasters, and seasonal hunger.

USAID Mission Director Herbert Smith said: "This contribution will meet immediate food needs and will allow WFP to work with communities to sow the seeds for community recovery with interventions that empower vulnerable Afghan families, rebuild livelihoods, and prepare for future shocks."

USAID is the largest donor to the WFP in Afghanistan.

Since 2017, USAID has provided $89 million to WFP to support emergency food and nutrition operations in Afghanistan.

USAID works with 16 UN and NGO partners to save lives and reduce the suffering of communities affected by ongoing complex emergencies and its humanitarian assistance is also meeting the acute needs of highly vulnerable Afghans in water, sanitation, and hygiene; emergency basic health; shelter and non-food items; and food and nutrition assistance.

This announcement comes just a day after the WFP raised concerns over the growing number of people facing a serious risk in terms of food security in Afghanistan.

David Beasley, Executive Director of World Food Program (WFP) has said that currently about 40 percent of the population in Afghanistan has no food security.

The lack of security, climate change and the flood of return refugees in the past three years has resulted in the increase in poverty and lack of food security in the war-torn country.

https://www.timesca.com/index.php/news/19568-afghanistan-usaid-donates-25-million-to-wfp-for-vulnerable-afghan-people