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Help Prevent Looming Starvation of Refugees in Zambia HA-8-1-06

On 6 January 2006 UN News Service reported – Faced with severe shortages of food and funding, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) this week began slashing by half its food rations to refugees in Zambia so it can stretch existing provisions over the next two months. But the newly measured combination of cereals, beans, vegetable oil and other foods will only last until the beginning of March, creating dire circumstances for the 80,000 Angolan and Congolese refugees now living in camps and settlements in this southern African nation. “The lack of funding may lead to starvation of the Congolese and Angolan refugees,” said Jo Woods, spokesperson for WFP in the Zambian capital of Lusaka. The agency needs $8.5 million over the next 12 months but donor response has been poor.

Aiming to avert a crisis, on 23 December WFP, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Zambian Government issued an appeal for food aid for the refugees living in this landlocked African country. At that time, WFP Zambian Country Director David Stevenson said the agency would be forced to halve rations starting on 1 January. “We simply have no choice,” he said, citing the fact that no contributions for 2006 had been received. “This is an extremely serious situation as these refugees live in camps and settlements in remote areas of Zambia and rely entirely on WFP for their food supplies.”

The previous 500-gram daily food ration for each person had been based on 2,100 calories a day and included 400 grams of cereals; 20 grams of pulses, such as beans; 25 grams of vegetable oil enriched with vitamin A; and 20 grams of sugar. In September 2004, WFP was forced to cut food aid rations for three months to avoid a complete break in food relief. Malnutrition increased among refugees, leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Working with International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other partners, UNHCR has organized the voluntary repatriation of over 63,000 refugees in the last three years. Last year, more than 17,600 Angolan refugees returned home under the UN refugee agency’s auspices, and more hope to return this year. UNHCR also aids refugee resettlement into other countries and, in certain cases, integration into Zambian communities.

“This is an extremely serious situation as these refugees live in camps and settlements in remote areas of Zambia and rely entirely on WFP for their food supplies”, David Stevenson, WFP Zambia Country Director. “This is certainly not our preferred course of action. We simply have no choice. Although we had a stable pipeline for refugees through to December this year, we have received no contributions for 2006. From 1 January, WFP will be forced to reduce rations by 50 percent. This is an extremely serious situation as these refugees live in camps and settlements in remote areas of Zambia and rely entirely on WFP for their food supplies”.

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2005 HA-2-12-05 reaffirms our pledge to achieving food security for all and to an ongoing effort to eradicate hunger in all countries, with an immediate view to reducing the number of undernourished people to half their present level no later than 2015. Achieving the WFS goal of reducing the absolute number of hungry people from about 800 million to 400 million will be challenging. The agricultural subsidies so maligned by the WTO in first world nations are probably the most effective method for third world countries to provide affordable and free food to the hungry. Donor nations and the African nations concerned in this refugee crisis should have no trouble contributing the $8.5 million needed by Zambian refugees for 2006. It is hoped that we can levy at least $1 million for this program immediately so that rations can continue to provide the per capita 2,100 calories daily needed to avoid malnutrition. To make donations go to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) news release on Zambia and donate using the link in the upper right of the page.