The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed contributions worth US$1.2 million from the governments of Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support over 15,000 people displaced by flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall in Rwanda’s Western, Northern, and Southern Provinces in May 2023.
This support is implemented in partnership with the Government of Rwanda’s Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) and other UN agencies, and includes food and nutrition assistance, temporary shelter units; water filters and cash transfers to enable people to meet their basic needs as they rebuild their livelihoods.
“This critical funding allowed WFP to support thousands of displaced people with immediate food assistance from Day 1. As they begin the journey to rebuild their livelihoods, we are now preparing cash distributions while also strengthening national systems and capacities,” says Mr Andrea Bagnoli, WFP’s Country Director in Rwanda.
The flooding and landslides killed 135 people, injured 111 people, and displaced nearly 19,000 people. In addition to the emergency assistance, WFP continues to support the Government to develop preparedness and response capacities, including innovations such as a national disaster risk-financing framework and digitalised post-disaster needs assessment tools to support the identification of the needs of shock-affected households, among others.
WFP has supported both emergency and long-term responses in Rwanda since 1975 through initiatives such as food and nutrition assistance to refugees, asylum seekers and returnees, school meals, disaster responses, land terracing and marshland rehabilitation which help to build national and local resilience to climate-related shocks. (End)