The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is providing urgently needed food assistance to 57,000 people affected by floods in southern Bangladesh. “Thousands of poor families have been devastated due to the effects of the flooding. A vast number of ultra-poor people are stranded on embankments, with no access to food and shelter,” said acting WFP Country Director Michael Dunford. Several areas of Satkhira district have been submerged as a result of severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall over the past two weeks, according to a news release issued by the agency. “Satkhira is an area where malnutrition is endemic, so this food assistance is absolutely vital,” said Dunford. With funding from the Australian Government, WFP has allocated 34.5 tons of high-energy biscuits to 11,500 households to cover the needs of over 57,000 people in the district. Each household will be provided with 40 packets of fortified biscuits, which will serve as a vital source of food and nutrition for the severely vulnerable people hit by the flooding. WFP will continue to monitor the situation and will expand its support if necessary. The agency has been working in Bangladesh – one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world – for 37 years in the areas of food security, nutritional well-being and livelihoods. It is also working with communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, building their resilience and livelihoods through innovative food and cash-for-work programmes. BM/UN
