Rohingya mothers, caregivers to get food vouchers amid fund cut
World Food Program, World Bank partner with Bangladeshi government to help Rohingya
DHAKA, Bangladesh
Rohingya mothers and caregivers will get food vouchers as the UN World Food Program and World Bank have partnered with the Bangladeshi government amid a serious fund cut to the Rohingya.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) on Friday said that it has partnered with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the World Bank Bangladesh to implement a critical project supporting the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar and on Bhasan Char.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar who fled a Myanmar crackdown in 2017.
The most vulnerable households will be supported with fresh food vouchers to purchase nutritious items like vegetables and protein-rich foods at WFP’s Fresh Food Corners through this partnership.
Mothers and caregivers of young children will receive nutrition education and fresh food vouchers to help improve their children’s nutrition and well-being, WFP said.
According to WFP, the current malnutrition rates exceed 15% among children under five, with 1 in 5 children under two suffering from malnutrition among Rohingya in Bangladesh.
Rohingya families will engage in homestead gardening, aquaculture, and mushroom production in order to boost food security. Youth volunteers will play a key role in disaster preparedness and response, while helping improve living conditions for the Rohingya community, it added.
This funding comes at a crucial time, as the Rohingya community continues to live without sustainable livelihood opportunities and remains fully dependent on humanitarian assistance.
WFP said without immediate funding, rations for over 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will have to be halved—from $12.50 per person per month to just $6, starting April 1.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar last week (March 13-16) in solidarity with the Rohingya, where he also spoke about funding cuts.
Guterres sought global support to make sure funds are made available to avoid the situation in which people will suffer even more.
