Netherlands and Switzerland supports WFP

Kathmandu, March 22: The United Nations World Food Programme in Nepal has received donations of US$617,000 from the Netherlands and US$410,000 from Switzerland to support WFP’s efforts to provide food supplies to over 108,000 exiled Bhutanese living in seven camps in eastern Nepal. 

The combined donation will secure enough food resources to feed all of the exiled Bhutanese for over one month.

The donations were received in response to WFP’s continued efforts to raise desperately needed funds from the international community in order provide monthly food rations to the exiled Bhutanese in 2007. 

Under their current status, exiled Bhutanese are restricted from engaging in economic activities outside the camps and from owning land – making humanitarian assistance, like the food aid provided by WFP, critical to fulfilling their basic needs.

“These donations could not have come at a more critical time as WFP was facing resource shortfalls that may have required food rationing for the months of April and May, placing the health and safety of the exiled Bhutanese at serious risk,” stated Richard Ragan, WFP’s Country Representative in Nepal in a statement.

“Also let me make clear that recent reports that WFP is cutting rations to pressure exiled Bhutanese to consider third country repatriation are completely inaccurate. We have for the last 16 years of feeding exiled Bhutanese in Nepal depended on the generosity of donor countries and today the country faces a number of new challenges, which has an impact on our ability to raise funds.  We remain hopeful, however, that the donors will continue their support to the Bhutanese in Nepal,” he further said.   

“Despite these contributions, we still need over US$7 million for this year, or approximately US$1 million a month, to provide adequate food to the over 108,000 exiled Bhutanese that are completely dependent upon WFP’s humanitarian assistance to meet their basic requirements, “continued Ragan.

WFP has been providing essential food aid to the exiled Bhutanese since 1992 at the request of the Government of Nepal and in close coordination with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. 

In addition to providing essential food items, WFP provides vitamin-fortified food to 3,000 pregnant and lactating women and young children. WFP also supports income generating activities aimed at improving the livelihoods of exiled Bhutanese as well as vocational training programmes that assist exiled Bhutanese in becoming self-sufficient once durable solutions are found. Bhutan News Service