WFP receives $3.9m from USAID

By: Kofi Owusu Aduonum
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a donation of $3.9 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to improve the nutrition of Ghanaian women, children, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

The WFP's nutrition activities are part of a relief and recovery operation that assists people who have been badly hit by recurrent floods and droughts, as well as recent global food price increases.

'Many Ghanaians have not been able to rebuild their lives after being struck by these successive crises,' said Ismail Omer, WFP Representative in Ghana.

'The USAID contribution will help WFP provide a safety net of nutritional support to the most vulnerable populations.'

The donation will enable the WFP to offer much-needed assistance to malnourished children and pregnant and nursing mothers. It will also help boost the nutrition of people living with HIV on antiretroviral drugs and their families.

The WFP's relief and recovery operation also includes food-for-work, food-for-training and income-generating activities, reaching a total of 423,000 Ghanaians.

In line with its current food procurement strategy, which includes the Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative, whereby the WFP works closely with local smallholder famers, the WFP will buy a portion of the required food commodities for its operations from Ghanaian producers.

The income from these food purchases will contribute to reducing poverty and improving food security among small-scale famers, who are among the most vulnerable groups in Ghana.