Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 02, January 26 - February 8, 2007
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says it is in desperate need of $10 million to provide 1.1 million Cambodians with food until July.
Cambodia is one of the 12 "hunger hotspot" countries listed as "extremely alarming" in the 2006 Global Hunger Index of the International Food Policy Research Institute.
With nearly 35 percent of its people living below the poverty line, Cambodia is classified as a least developed and low-income, food-deficit country. It ranks 129th out of 177 countries in the 2006 UN Development Program Human Development Index.
In a January 21 statement WFP said if money is not received soon, 700,000 Cambodians - mostly children and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients - will start going without essential sustenance.
WFP says the situation is likely to worsen unless it gets millions of dollars in donations, as donor support for WFP in Cambodia has diminished alarmingly since 2005.
"Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and these people rely on the WFP's help to keep them coming to school and getting HIV and TB treatment," WFP Executive Director James Morris said in the statement from New York.
WFP has already had to cut the numbers of those receiving aid. Morris said a lack of new donations could force some 650,000 children on school feeding programs, as well as 70,000 people affected by HIV/AIDS and 18,000 TB patients, to go without food.
"Hundreds of thousands of children in Cambodia count on the nutritious meal provided to them by the WFP," WFP Cambodia Country Director Thomas Keusters said in the statement.
"We want to restore this... assistance for children, for the very sick, and for the desperately poor, but we can only do this with the immediate... support of the international community."
WFP told the Voice of America (VOA) that if the WFP program is eliminated in schools, parents would probably take their children from school and send them out to work to get the money their families need to feed them, the VOA website stated.
By keeping the program going both the children's minds and bodies would continue to be fed.
"Food and nutrition are an essential part of the package of care for people receiving treatment for HIV and TB," Peter Piot, joint executive director of the UN Program on HIV/AIDS, said in the WFP statement. "Ration cuts jeopardize the effectiveness of these critical interventions."
WFP said many TB and HIV patients continue coming to WFP health posts to receive a full course of treatment because of the food aid provided.
This incentive is particularly important in combating TB, because drug-resistant variants of the disease develop among patients who do not complete their treatment.
Treatment of resistant strains of TB can cost up to 100 times more than ordinary strains.
A funding shortage since October 2006 has forced WFP to progressively reduce rations, and they now need at least $10 million to distribute some 18,000 tons of food to 1.1 million Cambodians until July 2007.
The Post tried to talk to WFP in Phnom Penh, but they were on their annual "retreat" in Sihanoukville and were unavailable for comment.
Cambodia is one of the 12 "hunger hotspot" countries listed as "extremely alarming" in the 2006 Global Hunger Index of the International Food Policy Research Institute.
With nearly 35 percent of its people living below the poverty line, Cambodia is classified as a least developed and low-income, food-deficit country. It ranks 129th out of 177 countries in the 2006 UN Development Program Human Development Index.
In a January 21 statement WFP said if money is not received soon, 700,000 Cambodians - mostly children and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis patients - will start going without essential sustenance.
WFP says the situation is likely to worsen unless it gets millions of dollars in donations, as donor support for WFP in Cambodia has diminished alarmingly since 2005.
"Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and these people rely on the WFP's help to keep them coming to school and getting HIV and TB treatment," WFP Executive Director James Morris said in the statement from New York.
WFP has already had to cut the numbers of those receiving aid. Morris said a lack of new donations could force some 650,000 children on school feeding programs, as well as 70,000 people affected by HIV/AIDS and 18,000 TB patients, to go without food.
"Hundreds of thousands of children in Cambodia count on the nutritious meal provided to them by the WFP," WFP Cambodia Country Director Thomas Keusters said in the statement.
"We want to restore this... assistance for children, for the very sick, and for the desperately poor, but we can only do this with the immediate... support of the international community."
WFP told the Voice of America (VOA) that if the WFP program is eliminated in schools, parents would probably take their children from school and send them out to work to get the money their families need to feed them, the VOA website stated.
By keeping the program going both the children's minds and bodies would continue to be fed.
"Food and nutrition are an essential part of the package of care for people receiving treatment for HIV and TB," Peter Piot, joint executive director of the UN Program on HIV/AIDS, said in the WFP statement. "Ration cuts jeopardize the effectiveness of these critical interventions."
WFP said many TB and HIV patients continue coming to WFP health posts to receive a full course of treatment because of the food aid provided.
This incentive is particularly important in combating TB, because drug-resistant variants of the disease develop among patients who do not complete their treatment.
Treatment of resistant strains of TB can cost up to 100 times more than ordinary strains.
A funding shortage since October 2006 has forced WFP to progressively reduce rations, and they now need at least $10 million to distribute some 18,000 tons of food to 1.1 million Cambodians until July 2007.
The Post tried to talk to WFP in Phnom Penh, but they were on their annual "retreat" in Sihanoukville and were unavailable for comment.
7 comments:
Hello,
How come Sihanouk, in the recent news, has admitted that he has never known the his so-called "ordinary" people are living in the destitute condition?
Somlor Ma-Chou Yuon
Oh, give me a brake, how can an
old man know everything? He
probably have a bunch of corrupted
people telling him that everything
is fine.
Hello,
Yep, you are right! For over 30 years under his reign, Sihanouk has not learned a shit.
Please remind him that anybody can sing. However, whether the records/DVD make it to the market that is another story.
"You may deceive all the people part of the time, and part of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time", Lincoln.
You can't fool us anymore. We are far more intelligent people than you think.
Samlor Ma-Chou Yuon
has WFP set up any sorts of donation programs for the people who want to donate?
CH
You may be smart, but Sihanouk is
a lot smarter. He has defeated
your backstabers SISOWATT
Sarimatakis people without
even being at the scenes, and you
can't do shit about it.
Yes Sihanouk is a lot smarter because he helped Yuan to defeat the South led by Bao Dai and then Ngo(s). At the end the smart Sihanouk sent his letter to neg Pham Van Dung to withdraw Yuan troops from Cambodia, Pham Van Dung did not even open Sihanouk's letter when Sihanoulk recievd his return letter.
You are siding with Sihanou because Sihanouk helped Yuan but he detroyed Cambodia.
Noope, Sihanouk did not help Yuon
to destroy Cambodia. He just help
to reunify the two vietnams so that
they can become a ligitimate
country. It was your KK Extremists
and Ethiopian Backstabers SISOWATT
Sarimatak who destroyed Cambodia.
Stop blaming innocent people, will
ya?
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