ALGIERS - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a €5.4 million (US$6.4 million) grant from the European Union (EU) to cover basic food needs of Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf refugee camps in south-west Algeria.
WFP will use these funds to provide vulnerable refugees living in this arid part of the country with a well-balanced and nutritious diet through direct food distribution. Food rations include cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and sugar. WFP will also provide pregnant and nursing mothers as well as children under five with specialized blended foods and supplements to treat and prevent malnutrition.
"WFP is deeply grateful to the people and governments of the European Union for their continuous support to our food and nutrition programmes," said WFP Representative and Country Director in Algeria Imed Khanfir. "This contribution is a testimony of the EU's commitment to the most vulnerable especially that their continuous support comes amidst a global pandemic and economic uncertainty."
The EU is the largest donor to WFP's operation supporting Sahrawi refugees in Algeria. The EU has donated nearly US$100 million in humanitarian support since 2003. This year, EU support accounts for almost 30 percent of WFP's funding requirements in Algeria.
"The EU renews its commitment to WFP's nutrition and food assistance operation in the Sahrawi refugee camps. Limited opportunities for self-sufficiency in the harsh desert conditions of Tindouf mean refugees continue to rely on international aid for their survival," said Samuel Marie-Fanon, Head of European Union Humanitarian Aid in Algiers. "Providing reliable and sustained support to the Sahrawi refugees is essential and a direct expression of EU solidarity with people in need."
WFP has been supporting the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria since 1986. WFP's operations in the country are carried out and monitored in collaboration with national and international organizations to ensure food assistance reaches the people for whom it is intended.
