11/06/2004

UN delivers food aid to isolated Haitians

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered food aid to some of the most isolated villages in Haiti’s mountainous Mapou district, bringing the first relief for those inhabitants since their homes were cut off after floods and landslides devastated the area on 23 May.

Using a helicopter supplied by the outgoing multinational interim force in Haiti, WFP staff handed over 15 metric tons of rice, flour and vegetable oil to residents in remote parts of Mapou – enough for 3,710 people for one week. Officials also transported 4.4 tons of food – enough to help 1,150 people – to the village of Pichon.

WFP Regional Coordinator for Latin America, Omar Bula-Escobar, said the agency would focus much of its efforts in the weeks ahead on "reaching the most vulnerable people in the most remote areas". Already it has delivered more than 60 tons of food supplies to the major towns in Mapou.

Although the relief effort is gaining ground, concerns over financing persist. In a statement released today, WFP said it has so far received less than half of the $7.9 million it called for in an emergency humanitarian appeal for Haiti earlier this year.

(gmcg)

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