The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday appealed for $9-million to feed about 224 000 refugees who face food shortages in Kenya.
”Less and less food has been reaching refugee families. It will get continually worse unless contributions come forward urgently,” Tesema Negash, the WFP’s country director in Kenya, said in a statement.
”[The] WFP urgently requires $9-million for the next six months to avoid further reductions in food aid for the 224 000 refugees living in Kenya,” the statement added.
The agency warned that current stocks will run out by March next year, and refugees, most of whom have fled fighting in Somalia and Sudan, will then face malnutrition.
”Each time we reduce food rations in the camps, we see the level of malnutrition increase and the refugees become more vulnerable to disease. We do not want to see this happen again,” Negash added.
”Food shortages pose a serious risk of malnutrition to refugees, and may provoke a wider humanitarian crisis. Our daily food ration of 2 100 kilocalories is the bare minimum.” — Sapa-AFP