More than 30,000 Namibians affected by COVID-19 and drought are set to receive food assistance from the European Union after the bloc unveiled a €2 million support grant on Tuesday.
The EU support, which would be administered by the United Nations World Food Programme, is expected to support severely food insecure communities living in informal settlements in the Khomas, Omusati and Erongo regions through September 2021.
The WFP would assist the communities through food distributions, cash transfers and vouchers.
“The EU, as one of the largest humanitarian and development donors in the world, is supporting humanitarian partners throughout the region to address the needs caused by recurrent natural disasters affecting the most vulnerable communities,” said Alexandre Castellano, who leads the EU’s humanitarian response in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region.
WFP country director for Namibia, George Fedha, said the onset of COVID-19 early this year and the various measures adopted to curb its spread have worsened the food security situation in Namibia, with people in informal urban and peri-urban settlements being most affected.
This also includes marginalized communities dependent on government relief programmes and casual work on commercial farms.
“This contribution comes at a crucial time, allowing WFP to better address their precarious food security and nutrition situation,” Fedha said.
WFP would implement the project in partnership with UNICEF and the Namibian government.
JN/APA