WFP has welcomed a €500,000 donation from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) to its emergency operations to feed flood-affected people in Nepal.

“ECHO has been one of the largest donors to WFP’s emergency operations in Nepal, giving €3 million over the last two years. By supporting WFP’s emergency operations, ECHO has provided aid to more than 150,000 people struggling to secure enough food after being hit by natural disasters in Nepal,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Nepal.

At a cost of nearly €3.3 million, WFP aims to provide food aid to over 266,000 people who have been impacted by floods in Nepal. As a part of this effort, the donation from ECHO will provide food aid to 40,000 people.

“The European Commission has been monitoring this year’s floods closely in Nepal and also in the rest of South Asia. We are happy to contribute to this project which will, along with three others, alleviate the suffering of thousands and provide for much needed food, shelter, and adequate water and sanitation, said Dominique Feron, Head of the EC’s Humanitarian Aid office in Kathmandu.

"ECHO is also supporting flood related humanitarian projects in India and Bangladesh for a total allocation of € 9.5 million,” he added.

Monsoon floods have destroyed or damaged over 70,000 households and have affected 50 out of 75 districts in Nepal. Continued rains over the last month have challenged relief efforts, in some cases reflooding areas already damaged from the earlier onslaught of rains.

Operations expanded

WFP launched its emergency food aid operations in response to a request from the Government of Nepal to feed 60,000 people displaced by flooding.

WFP expanded its operations to include 266,000 people after subsequent assessments placed the number of flood-affected people to more than 470,000.

“The response from the international community to WFP flood-relief efforts was swift and generous. However, many of the communities impacted by floods were already facing significant challenges in meeting their basic food needs.

Without increased donor support for reconstruction and rehabilitation activities, these communities could find themselves in a desperate situation as they struggle through the upcoming lean season in Nepal,” Ragan said.

Paul Risley
WFP/Bangkok
Cell. +66-81-701-9208
Tel. +66-2-655-4115

Heather Sutliff
WFP/Nepal
Tel. +977-1-5535694
Cell. +977-9851019098

Brenda Barton
Deputy Director Communications
WFP/Rome
Tel. +39-06-65132602
Cell. +39-3472582217
(ISDN line available)

Christiane Berthiaume
WFP/Geneva
Tel. +41-22-9178564
Cell. +41-792857304

Jennifer Parmelee
WFP/Washington
Tel. +1-202-6530010
Ext. 1149
Cell. +1-202-4223383

Bettina Luescher
WFP/New York
Tel. +1-212-9635196
Cell. +1-646-8241112,