Korean rice donation boosts World Food Programme (WFP) school meals and refugee response in Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Sierra Leone

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a food aid contribution of 11,520 MT of rice from the Republic of Korea to meet the emergency food and nutrition needs of 81,600 Malian refugees and 287,000 school children across Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Sierra Leone.

This contribution is particularly crucial in a context where millions of families are struggling to meet their basic food and nutrition needs due to the compounding effects of the climate crisis, conflicts and insecurity, and the high costs of food and fuel in West Africa which drive food out of reach for vulnerable families. According to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, 2.3 million women, men and children are facing acute hunger in Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, and Sierra Leone during the June-August lean season.

“I’m pleased that this year, the rice assistance of the Republic of Korea has doubled, and for the first time, we’re supporting three countries in West Africa with Korean rice” said Yongho Jung, Director at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea.

“The Republic of Korea (ROK) received food assistance from the international community in the past, and now we want to give back that help. I hope that rice, prepared by the ROK Government and people with sincerity, will bring a message of hope to refugees and young students who are facing severe food crises” Yung added.

Across the three countries, school meals represent a critical safety net for vulnerable families and provide a significant incentive for parents to keep their children in school, boosting attentiveness in class and mitigating student dropouts. As schools have attempted to go back to normality following the COVID-19 pandemic, nutritious school meals and take-home rations play a key role in maximizing student retention in schools and improving children’s nutrition.

In Guinea Bissau, where economic and climate-related crises are driving hunger and malnutrition up, WFP will distribute 2,400 mt of rice to 180,000 children in 850 schools for four months, providing essential nutritional support to schoolchildren.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Korea for their generous donation of food to the most vulnerable schoolchildren in Guinea-Bissau”, said Claude Kakule, WFP’s Country Director&Representative in Guinea-Bissau. “This timely contribution – following a period of food shortage in the country – will be crucial in boosting school enrolment and retention rates at the beginning of the next school year.”

In Mauritania,the Korean contribution will be used to complement general food assistance to 81,600 Malian Refugees in the Mbera refugee camp for 11 months. Part of the contribution will be used to provide school meals to 7,700 refugee children and 46,800 children from the host communities for nine months from October 2024 to June 2025.

The rice provided for the refugee response will complement the cash-based response allowing the most vulnerable refugee families to receive a complete and diversified food basket during the lean season period (June-September) when they are often forced to resort to adverse coping strategies to make ends meet.

“This generous contribution from the Republic of Korea is a lifeline for many people hard hit by multiple crises. It will go a long way to significantly support WFP’s efforts to strengthen the food security and nutrition of refugees and vulnerable rural communities in Mauritania affected by economic and climate shocks,” said Patrick Teixeira, WFP’s Deputy Country Director in Mauritania.

At a time when hunger is on the rise in Sierra Leone due to the economic fallout from the Ukraine crisis, alongside broader macroeconomic decline, and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korean donation could not have come at a better time. It complements government efforts to address the food and nutrition needs of 106,700 students in 494 primary schools across the country.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations and deepest appreciation to the Republic of Korea for their unwavering commitment to humanitarian efforts and their dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of those in need,” said Yvonne Forsen, WFP’s Country Director&Representative in Sierra Leone. “This act of generosity exemplifies the spirit of international cooperation and compassion that lies at the core of the World Food Programme mission.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).