PORT AU PRINCE, March 30, 2010 - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that Haiti's human capital will have a major role to play in providing safety nets for the most vulnerable, boosting local agriculture production and supporting local markets throughout the entire country in the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquake.
Working with the support of international donors, and in close partnership with the Haitian government, WFP is launching cash and food for work projects to support agricultural rehabilitation. WFP also aims to stimulate the markets through local procurement of food. In addition, WFP is putting in place measures for the hurricane season, including the prepositioning of food, trucks and other lifesaving supplies.
"These programmes have been endorsed by the Haitian Government and will be implemented in close partnership with national Government institutions. They follow the Government's priorities to support agricultural production and food security while ensuring access to food for the most vulnerable and are as such a key element in Haiti's move to social security and stability," said Michel Chancy, Secretary of State for Animal Production and Food Assistance in Haiti.
Programmes which will be launched and implemented by WFP in partnership with the Haitian Government and other national and international organizations include feeding school children a daily, nutritious meal, providing pregnant and nursing women and malnourished children under five with a nutritional food supplement as well as feeding orphans and people in hospitals.
Programmes will be launched in the coming weeks as the initial emergency response phase of WFPs operation is now winding down.
Since the earthquake, WFP has reached almost 3.5 million people with lifesaving rations of rice, flour, beans, oil and salt. Generous contributions of close to US$260 million have allowed WFP to carry out this critical work in Haiti.
"International donors have been extremely generous, but we still need cash contributions of US$100 million to launch cash and food for work projects in the next phase of our operations," said Myrta Kaulard, WFP's Haiti Country Representative. "In addition, we need US$55 million to fund WFP's critical role in providing logistical support to the wider humanitarian community, especially as we move to preposition shelter and other urgent relief supplies in advance of the rain and hurricane seasons."
Website: www.wfp.org
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