Gov’t, WFP to give covid-19 food relief to 42,750 households

Press release

BANJUL – The government of The Gambia (GoTG), through the Ministry of Agriculture, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have today launched emergency relief package to provide food assistance to 342,000 people (42,750 households) across all regions of the country as part of the national COVID-19 response.

Each household will receive a 50kg Bag of Rice per month for a period of four months; February to May 2021. This assistance comes at a time when the country is witnessing a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the food and nutrition security status of the most vulnerable. The GoTG and WFP seek to protect livelihoods and cushion the vulnerable households from hunger, allowing for faster rebound from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and promote the consumption of nutritious diets.

“The Ministry of Agriculture with support from the Government and partners is ever committed today than ever to provide food assistance to vulnerable farmers and build their resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and negative impacts of climate change” –Hon. Amie Fabureh, Minister of Agriculture.

The assistance will prioritize families with less than four-months of food stock, surviving on daily wages with no regular income or remittances; households with malnourished children and chronically ill individuals, and women-headed or elderly headed households — many of them already resorting to reduced food intake/meals due to affordability as they are directly impacted increasing food prices and reduced remittances from migrant workers.

“WFP support complements Government efforts to ensure continued provision of food assistance for the most vulnerable people in The Gambia as measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affect livelihoods; limiting access to food” says the WFP Representative and Country Director in The Gambia, Mr. Yasuhiro Tsumura.

The nationwide assistance will be delivered in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Disaster Management Agency. The General Public is hereby informed that all persons taking part in the distribution must adhere to the World Health Organization and Government’s COVID-19 preventive measures. Arrangements have been made to ensure the safety of all persons involved in the distribution.

The GoTG in partnership with WFP reiterates its commitment in the fight against food and nutrition insecurity and building resilience against all shocks including COVID-19.