U.S. Embassy
Avenida Kenneth Kaunda, 193
Caixa Postal, 783
Maputo
MOZAMBIQUE
PRESS RELEASE
October 3, 2019 – On September 19, the U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development Office of Food for Peace, provided $20.5 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to address food insecurity in areas affected by Cyclone Idai in Sofala Province and Cyclone Kenneth in Cabo Delgado Province. This funding will also provide life-saving food assistance to areas in the country affected by floods and drought. This assistance brings the U.S. Government contribution to WFP in Mozambique to $79.6 million in 2019.
Even with the large-scale immediate response to the natural disasters that devastated parts of Mozambique earlier this year, the need for direct humanitarian aid and agricultural and infrastructure assistance still remains. The Government of Mozambique’s Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) estimates that 1.6 million people living in the affected areas remain at crisis levels of food insecurity. SETSAN predicts that this number could rise to 1.9 million by February 2020.
WFP will use this $20.5 million contribution to provide food, as well as cash or voucher payments, to individuals and families affected by floods and drought. In addition, WFP will use these funds to help rehabilitate degraded farmland, and to build or repair roads, flood control embankments, irrigation systems, weather-resistant crop nurseries, and community gardens. In addition to meeting the immediate needs of affected communities, this support is part of the U.S. Government’s broader effort to mitigate the impact of future natural disasters and strengthen the resilience of communities in Mozambique.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance in Mozambique through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises. For more information about USAID’s work in Mozambique to foster sustainable development and advance human dignity, please visit https://www.usaid.gov/mozambique.
For more information about this press release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Maputo Press Office at MaputoPress@state.gov.
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