The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is scaling up its humanitarian assistance efforts in response to increased troubles in Pakistan. The rise in violence has led families to flee their homes, making them internally displaced people within Pakistan. WFP and other humanitarian agencies are responding to these needs.
Increased tensions in Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan, mean more people have been on the move in search of safer areas. In total, WFP is now assisting 650,000 people in this area of the world.
Reuters news has created a Factbox, which gathers information on the situation in Pakistan and how U.N. agencies are responding. Their statistics suggest that over 1 million people may now be in need of humanitarian assistance, with a long-term crisis looming if agencies do not have the resources needed to adequately respond.
The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) has been on the ground attempting to register all the displaced as they arrive at a camp or a host community; the numbers are growing every day as WFP sets up additional food distribution centers.
“WFP has mobilized in-country stocks and is prepared to feed the growing population of internally displaced persons for the next two to three months. Assisting hungry families is our first priority,” says WFP Pakistan Country Representative Wolfgang Herbinger in a recent press release, adding that donations are needed quickly to meet the growing demand for food.
Voice of America reports that WFP is saying the total cost of this operation might be about $120 million dollars; so far $42 million dollars have been received.
To donate to greatest need through Friends of WFP, please visit www.friendsofwfp.org/donate.
-Jessica Alatorre
Outreach Associate
Friends of WFP
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