Mozambique: Japan donates 2.7 million dollars for food aid

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Japan donates 2.7 million dollars for food aid

3:01 CAT | 04 Aug 2016

Mhoje_foodchldclimatereporters_photo_jpg

Notícias (File photo)

The Japanese government on Tuesday announced that it is donating 2.7 million US dollars to Mozambique in response to the severe drought that has hit the south and centre of the country.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that it had decided to extend 5 million dollars of emergency aid to Southern Africa through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in response to food shortages. It added, “this emergency grant aid is to provide food and nutrition support to Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland, in the light of serious humanitarian needs such as food shortages and malnutrition caused by the El Nino phenomenon”.

The El Nino weather phenomena is characterised by an abnormal warming of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean and has a significant effect on weather around the world. In Mozambique, it is associated with a lack of rain during what is the wettest part of the year- January to March.

In a statement, the Japanese Embassy in Maputo wrote, “the government expresses its solidarity with the Mozambican people and, with this food aid, hopes to improve the nutritional status of the population located in areas hit by this phenomenon’.

According to the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), at least 1.5 million Mozambicans are suffering from food insecurity and a lack of water for human consumption and livestock.

International relief agencies have warned of the urgent need for humanitarian assistance due to the worst drought that has hit the country in 35 years.

Source: AIM