Lusaka — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has expanded the distribution of food and commodity vouchers to 21,800 drought-affected people in the southern districts of Gwembe, Siavonga and Sinazongwe following a US$1 million contribution from the Republic of Korea. This initiative is part of a larger response to the severe drought impacting Zambia, which has left millions of people in need of emergency food assistance. WFP is collaborating closely with the Government of the Republic of Zambia and the Office of the Vice President's Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to ensure a coordinated and effective response.
The contribution from the Republic of Korea is helping WFP provide critical food assistance through a combination of in-kind food distributions to 5,600 vulnerable people and commodity vouchers to 16,200 people from November 2024 to February 2025. The assistance is targeted at the most vulnerable groups, including female-headed households, people living with HIV and AIDS, orphans, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Through the response, each household will receive cumulative 200kg of maize, 20kg of beans and four litres of cooking oil.
During a field visit to witness the food distributions in the Siavonga district, the Republic of Korea Ambassador to Zambia, Mr Park Jae Kyung, noted that the Republic of Korea contribution was in support to the Zambian government in providing the needed assistance to its people during this time. "We hope this support will make the local people happy and survive these challenging times," he said.
"WFP is deeply grateful to the Republic of Korea for their timely support, which will help us address the urgent nutritional needs of those affected by the drought," said Cissy Kabasuuga, WFP Country Director and Representative in Zambia. With this funding, we aim to alleviate hunger and prevent malnutrition among populations severely affected by drought."
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To complement the government's emergency drought response, WFP, with support from donors, is providing food assistance to 1.1 million people across twenty-three districts. Additionally, WFP is complementing the government's drought early recovery and livelihood restoration activities by providing agricultural inputs to 60,000 smallholder farmers from seventeen districts of Southern, Western, Eastern, and Central provinces.
About WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
