Kampala — THE French embassy has given a grant of over sh900m to Karamoja to secure emergency food aid to starving households and malnourished children affected by drought in the region.

The grant will be implemented by two international NGOs, Premier Urgence (PU) and the Institute for International Cooperation and Development (C&D), both of which operate projects in Karamoja.

A sh370m agreement was signed on Thursday by the French ambassador, René Forceville, and the C&D country director, Lappo Pier Giorgio, at the French Embassy in Nakasero.

Forceville said the grant would address immediate nutritional needs to prevent starvation, facilitate the food-for-work programme as beneficiaries gain the strength to grow their own food.

Jean Baptiste Luciani, the embassy's head of cooperation, said funding was within the framework of the food aid programme.

"Karamoja is important for humanitarian development reasons and we endeavour to give specific effort to the region," Luciani said.

Giorgio said organisation had been operating in Karamoja for 25 years. He said Moroto district and parts of Bokora, Matany were experiencing dry weather conditions which have affected cultivation.

Drought-affected households in Katikekile, Matany, Lokoreto, Tepeth and Moroto municipality are some of the immediate beneficiaries of the aid.

Additional 3,000 beneficiaries will be selected to receive monthly supplies of posho, beans and vegetable cooking oil.

Powder milk will be distributed to five selected feeding centres for malnourished children. A further sh618m is planned to support Premier Urgence's programmes to de-silt water ponds in Kotido district.