KATHMANDU – WFP’s humanitarian response to the people of Nepal is carried out in close partnership with the Nepali government. Working with authorities at the central, district and Village Development Committee levels and with local partners, WFP has to date reached over two million people with food.

WFP has launched a second phase which has already reached 440,000 people with rice, pulses and oil in 10 districts, and distributed nutrition supplements to prevent acute malnutrition to 12,700 children aged under two and 1,400 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Additionally, 37,000 people in two districts have received cash assistance in exchange for light recovery work such as removing rubble and rehabilitating fields.

“WFP has been in Nepal for over 50 years, bringing essential food to the most vulnerable,” said WFP Country Director Pippa Bradford. “WFP will stay at the side of the Nepali people, working hand in hand with the government to support the ongoing recovery efforts, and ultimately to assist in the construction of a stronger and more prosperous Nepal.”

Porters have been hired to bring essential food supplies and building materials to extremely isolated locations, which cannot be reached by vehicle or helicopter. As they work their way up the mountain, the porters are clearing trails that are vital to the local economy. WFP, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is in the process of constructing 50 temporary health clinics in some of Nepal’s most earthquake-affected areas. WFP also provides crucial logistics support to the humanitarian community in Nepal, and has handled to date over 11,000 metric tons of relief supplies on behalf of 116 different organisations.

“Every person employed by WFP is working very hard on behalf of the earthquake-affected people. This is even more true for our Nepali colleagues, who are entirely focused on their work, in spite of having to deal with the consequences of the disaster on their homes and among their family members,” said Bradford

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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org): Iolanda Jaquemet, WFP/Nepal, Mob. +977 9802 039 678