5.7m People Affected by Severe Drought Need Food Assistance: WFP

Feb 12 , 2022

The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 5.7 million people affected by severe drought need food assistance in eastern Ethiopia. The organisation plans to support 2.9 million people with food relief in the Somali Regional State and around 600,000 children and mothers with nutritional and preventative treatments against malnutrition. This emergency response will be complemented by expanding microinsurance support for up to 18,000 at-risk pastoralists, reads a press release from the organisation. The WFP is also seeking to include 50,000 children in its school meals programme, which supports 87,000 children across 254 schools in other drought-affected regions of Oromia and the Southern Regional State. According to the press release issued by WFP, 13 million people are facing drought-induced hunger in the Horn of Africa. Close to three million and four million people are in need of assistance in Kenya and Somalia, respectively, according to its estimates.