OncologyFood Provides Critical Lifeline And Stability For Pakistan Displaced
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is streaming
critically needed food assistance to more than two million displaced
people
in Pakistan and helping to bring stability to the region through an
innovative system which is helping to feed and protect victims.
"Food is a basic building block for life, and in Pakistan, it goes
beyond
immediate nourishment by providing peace and stability to the human tide
of
people uprooted by conflict," said WFP"s Executive Director, Josette
Sheeran. WFP was already feeding 6.2 million people in Pakistan before
the
recent crisis, including 510,000 girls attending school.
Today, WFP began moving 97 metric tons of a highly nutritious food
supplement, called Plumpy" Doz which will be distributed to children
under
the age of 5, who have been identified as needing urgent additional
assistance. Plumpy"Doz is a peanut paste containing skimmed milk,
sugar,
vitamins and minerals that can be eaten on its own or added to meals.
WFP - in cooperation with the Government of Pakistan and the UN refugee
agency, UNHCR - has devised a "service point" approach to distributing
food
and other relief assistance through "humanitarian hubs" in protected
areas
close to the homes of displaced families.
As the Pakistani authorities and UNHCR work to refine their process of
registering families for food assistance, WFP is working to ensure that
food is targeted sharply on those who need it most.
With overcrowding a major issue in camps for internally-displaced
persons
(IDPs) near Peshawar and other cities, the hubs - 28 of which have been
established so far - have become a critical lifeline to those in need.
Once at a hub, IDPs receive monthly WFP food rations plus relief items
such
as cooking utensils and shelter materials against their verified
registration card. Nearly 90 percent of all IDPs fleeing the most recent
fighting do not stay at camps, but in host communities within easy reach
of
the humanitarian hub.
Sheeran said WFP is ready to try new approaches to respond to the needs
of
a large number of unexpectedly displaced people over the next several
months. In May alone, WFP distributed some 40,000 metric tons of food
commodities valued at US$30 million - enough to feed 2.6 million people
for
a month.
Given the enormous challenges posed by the rapid increase of
displaced
people, WFP is making a number of efforts to provide critical relief,
in
addition to the establishment of humanitarian hubs by:
1. providing nutritional supplements for women and children to
prevent
malnutrition among the most vulnerable members of displaced families;
2. designing community development programs (Food-for-Work,
School
Nutrition) in safe areas to encourage stability and provide
economic
opportunities;
3. in partnership with the Government"s National Registration
Authority
offering IDPs "smart cards" which are swiped like a bank withdrawal
card
to provide cash to buy food rations in areas where sufficient food
is
available on markets.
The United Nations World Food Programme