About 4 million Haitians, nearly a third of the national population, are in need of urgent food aid and 1 million are suffering from severe hunger, warned the UN World Food Program (WFP), stressing that the Covid-19 crisis has increased the urgency "The situation had already worsened in 2019, but it worsened further with the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the closure of ports and airports, as well than schools where many children receive their main food supply," said WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs at a press conference.

She recalled that President Jovenel Moïse had declared a food emergency and that the prices of certain basic foods had already increased by more than 30% on the national market "We are particularly concerned about the malnutrition of children, because with the reduction in food availability, they tend to suffer the most."

Faced the emergency, WFP resumed its food distribution operations in 5 provinces of Haiti and with the closure of schools began to distribute rations to children and their families.

The most affected areas are the North-West department and Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince, where 850,000 people (out of a total population of nearly three million inhabitants) suffer from access to food problems according to the UN organization.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29972-haiti-agriculture-$76m-in-emergency-agricultural-assistance-from-fao.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29849-haiti-flash-41-million-haitians-will-be-food-insecure-between-march-and-june-2020.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29815-haiti-humanitarian-375-million-haitians-in-situation-of-serious-food-insecurity.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29636-haiti-flash-44-million-haitians-suffer-from-hungry-by-march-2020.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29554-haiti-humanitarian-$1-million-in-additional-aid-from-usaid.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29472-haiti-humanitarian-wfp-announces-emergency-food-aid-for-700-000-haitians.html

IH/ iciHaiti