Hunger will be alleviated in South Sudan after the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received $500,000 from the Republic of Korea, the organization said on Monday.
Korea Values WFP efforts
H.E Ha Byung Hoo, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to South Sudan, expressed support to WFP’s programs.
“Having contributed over US$27 million through projects to assist refugees in Uganda and South Sudan since 2017, Korea remains committed to responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees in South Sudan,” he said.
According to him, it is crucial to maintain WFP’s food assistance and emphasized that relief food is the first step in “enabling refugees to restart their lives and embark on a journey towards self-reliance.”
He said, “We appreciate WFP in South Sudan and being at the forefront of humanitarian activities, and we highly value our strong partnership.”
Matthew Hollingworth, WFP’s Country Director in South Sudan for his part, expressed his gratitude to Korea.
Africa’s Largest Humanitarian Crisis
It is seen that South Sudan is Africa’s largest humanitarian and refugee crisis. It has over 2 million people as refugees in neighboring countries, according to WFP.
The country also hosts 300,000 refugees from Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia.
According to Hollingworth, the funds will be used to provide vital support to the most vulnerable people who were forced to flee their countries of origin who carried only a few of their possessions.
He said the cash assistance gives people options to buy not only food but also to buy other basic needs.
WFP said an average of $1Million is transferred to refugees every month. The organization has currently paid $35 million in cash-based transfers across the country, including refugees.
Korea, for their part, said it is committed to supporting WFP consistently.
