Japanese gov’t donates 2 billion to WFP, for conflict-affected people in Cameroon, CAR
By Nambu Bernadette Franka
The government of Japan has signed a funding agreement of approximately FCFA 2 billion, with the World Food Programme, WFP, to provide integrated food and nutrition assistance to crisis-affected populations in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR).
The signing ceremony took place on Thursday, September 7, 2023, in the conference room of the WFP in Yaounde.
The Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon Takaoka Nozomu stated that Japan attaches great importance to rendering food assistance to affected African countries especially Cameroon and CAR because of the number of refugees and Internally displaced persons, IDPs from neighboring countries.
“ This food assistance will not only reach refugees and IDPs but also school children to improve their school attendance and their well-being,” the Ambassador said.
According to the representative and Country Director of WFP Cameroon, Wanja Kaaria, Cameroon received 840 Million FCFA to support 44,000 refugees, Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, and vulnerable populations in crisis-affected regions with 50 % being women and girls.
“This is a very much welcomed donation which will go a long way to support the people in the crisis hit regions, not only to provide nutrition support to pregnant women, malnourish children but also it will go to school feeding programs,” she stated.
She went further to note that; “The support of partners like Japan remains crucial in our saving lives and changing lives operations in Cameroon. It allows WFP to assist smallholder farmers in places like Boulembe and Timangolo in the East, or Biskavia in Mokolo, Far North region engage in nutrition-sensitive agriculture while promoting the use of fortified seeds. This improves communities’ resilience and brings us one step closer to our goal of zero hunger,”.
The Country Director added that the two-year project to be implemented up to September 2025 will help in assisting the affected populations across six regions in Cameroon.
The grants aim to support 42,665 vulnerable persons, including children aged 6-59 months, as well as school-aged children, to provide food assistance to support the self-reliance and recovery needs of affected populations and enhance access to education for children through school feeding, CNA learned.
Receiving the sum of 1.1 Billion FCFA from the Japanese government, the WFP Representative and Country Director to CAR, Housainou Taal, said the donation is a stitch in time. “This donation is timely because in CAR now, we have a funding crisis. We are trying to mobilize resources to assist the vulnerable persons, those who have been affected by the crisis. We want to say a big thank you to the Japanese government for this donation. Through this generosity and timely contribution, Japan is allowing about 54,000 children to return to and stay in school. Sometimes, the children lose 10-15 percent of their intellectual capacity if they cannot eat in school. This constitutes a safe place, prevents the recruitment of children by armed groups, and helps avoid early marriages and child exploitation,”.
