Thursday, February 08, 2007

UN to resume food distribution in Cambodia after receiving aid from US, Spain

Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
The U.N.'s food agency said Thursday it will resume partial food distribution to many hungry and sick Cambodians after receiving aid from the United States and Spain.

The United States has provided 5,500 tons (6,100 U.S. tons) tons of pulses, a group that includes peas and beans, and 2,150 tons (2,370 U.S. tons) of vegetable oil for a period of three years. Spain has given €500,000 (US$649,000), the World Food Program said in a statement Thursday.

Three weeks ago, the U.N. agency appealed for at least US$10 million (€7.7 million) to supply food to more than 1 million Cambodians until July.

The WFP was forced to progressively reduce food rations and delay distribution to needy Cambodians last October because of a funding shortage.

Thomas Keusters, the WFP director in Cambodia, said in the statement the stoppage had already affected 650,000 schoolchildren, 70,000 people affected by HIV/AIDS and 18,000 tuberculosis patients.

Because of the "critical and timely contributions" from the U.S. and Spanish governments, the WFP will resume some of its distribution programs in Cambodia, "especially in support of HIV/AIDS victims," he said.

Keusters said, however, the aid was far from enough and more contributions were urgently needed.

Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries, and about 35 percent of its 14 million people live below the national poverty line of US$0.50 (€0.40) a day. The country has an HIV infection rate of 1.9 percent for people aged 15-49, among the highest in Southeast Asia.

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