KABUL - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has assisted more than one million six hundred thousand people across the country with nearly 19,000 tons of food in the month of April alone.

More than 500,000 Afghans received nearly 9,000 tons of food through WFP’s food for work projects. These include irrigation of canals, ponds, water channels and feeder roads.

In the month of April, 525,000 people, including those affected by natural disasters, internally displaced people, and those affected by high food prices, have received WFP food assistance.

To encourage school attendance especially by girls, WFP distribute food to school children. In the month of April, more than 550,000 children across the country received food.

This spring many parts of Afghanistan have suffered from flooding caused by heavy rainfall.

WFP has delivered emergency food rations - consisting of wheat, pulses, oil and salt - to 25,300 people affected by flooding in the north, northeast and west of the country.

Together with the Government and other UN agencies, WFP is responding to the drought, intending to provide food assistance to an average 1.8 million people each month until the 2009 harvest. The country has also been hit by the recent global upward trend in food prices.

WFP’s plan for the current year is to assist 8.8 million Afghans with more than 300,000 tons of food.

By Homayon Khoram, UNAMA

Website: WFP Afghanistan