SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) 鈥� The U.N.鈥檚 World Food Program announced Monday that it is facing a shortage of funds and won鈥檛 be able to help 100,000 people in Haiti this month who urgently need assistance.
The 25% cut comes as a record 4.9 million people in the country of nearly 11 million need help with finding food, the agency said.
鈥淭hese cuts could not come at a worse time, as Haitians face a multi-layered humanitarian crisis, their lives and livelihoods upended by violence, insecurity, economic turmoil and climate shocks,鈥� said Jean-Martin Bauer, the agency鈥檚 director for Haiti.
The agency warned that its Haiti response plan is only 16% funded, and that it won鈥檛 be able to provide food to a total of 750,000 Haitians if it doesn鈥檛 secure $121 million through the end of the year.
鈥淯nless we receive immediate funding, further devastating cuts cannot be ruled out,鈥� Bauer said.
So far this year, the World Food Program has provided more than 450,000 school children with hot meals, often the only food they receive in a day.
Per capita, the number of Haitians facing emergency-level food insecurity is the second highest in the world, , according to the agency. More than 115,000 children younger than 5 also are expected to struggle with malnutrition this year, a 30% surge compared with last year.
Gang violence has worsened the situation, paralyzing the transportation of goods and preventing people from leaving their homes.
The Associated Press
