United Nations World Food Programme welcomes Government of Canada grant in support of Gaza
East Jerusalem – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a grant of US$5.2 million from the Government of Canada. This timely contribution will enable WFP to provide essential emergency food assistance to people in Gaza.
As the war enters its third month, the people of Gaza are increasingly at risk of starvation. With this donation from the Canadian Government, WFP plans to reach around 1.1 million displaced Gazans with food assistance in the form of food parcels and hot meals for displaced families.
WFP has been mobilizing and delivering food for Gazan families every day since the beginning of the crisis, distributing food to displaced families in UN shelter and host communities. “This donation supports our efforts to scale up our assistance to alleviate some of the suffering in Gaza and to prevent starvation, and we are grateful for their support,” says WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine Samer AbdelJaber.
“The Government of Canada is deeply concerned by the high levels of hunger throughout Gaza as a result of the conflict and humanitarian crisis. This investment will allow those in need to receive urgent food assistance and save lives,” says Canada’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority, David Da Silva.
Recently, WFP has also supported community-led kitchens by providing them with food items that they use to make hot meals every day. These kitchens are mostly run by women dedicated to support their communities in the face of mass displacement and no access to cooking facilities.
In addition to immediate food assistance, WFP, with this contribution, is working to support and expand the capacity of bakeries in Gaza to make bread available to provide longer-term food assistance to the population. The continued support of donors such as the Canadian Government is critical at this time to ensure lasting food assistance and support for the people of Gaza.
# # #
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media. @wfp_mena, @wfp_canada