In Numbers
653 mt of food assistance commodities distributed
US$ 973,100 cash-based transfers completed
US$ 5.4 m six months (May- October 2019) net funding requirements, representing 62 percent of total requirements
230,200 people assisted in April 2019
Operational Updates
• WFP provided food and nutrition assistance to 230,200 people including primary school students living in the four most impoverished and food-insecure districts of Rwanda and over 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Burundi and DR Congo. All camp-based refugees in Rwanda depend mainly on food and nutrition assistance provided by WFP in the form of cash transfers, in-kind food or a combination of the two. The most vulnerable members of refugee’s population such as children, pregnant and breast-feeding mothers, and people living with HIV/AIDS and TB patients receive additional highly nutritious food supplements to improve their nutritional status.
• In April, WFP transferred US$ 973,100 through cash-based transfers to refugees living in camps. This form of food assistance not only enables refugees to purchase foods of their choice from local markets and shops around the camps but also promotes the socio-economic inclusion of refugees while boosting the local economy. To further encourage selfreliance and economic inclusion, WFP supported refugees in Mugombwa camp and surrounding host communities to produce maize for household consumption and sales.
• Over 75 percent of food procured during April for WFP’s assistance in Rwanda was purchased locally, including from smallholder farmers. Additionally, more than 650 mt of food commodities were distributed to refugees and school children in April.
• WFP supported smallholder farmers and continued building their capacity throughout the entire food value chain. With WFP support, more than 25,000 farmers participated in capacity building trainings during April and the supported farmers have been able to sell maize worth more than USD 1.26 million to formal private sector buyers since the beginning of the year.
• In addition to daily meals provided to students in 104 primary schools within Rwanda’s four poorest and most food insecure districts, WFP also supports schools through water, sanitation and health activities. As a result, health-related absenteeism has dropped from eight percent in 2016 to less than one percent today.
• The Ebola virus continues to spread in North-Kivu in DR Congo, and Rwanda remains at ‘high’ risk. WFP continues to provide assistance for national preparedness led by the Ministry of Health.