The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has assisted more than 2,300 children in Luanda, Angola, through its cash transfer programme.
Development Diaries gathered that the cash was given directly to caregivers and guardians who procured food for the children.
It is understood that the programme, funded by the European Union (EU), was designed to mitigate the impact of the drought-propelled food crisis on children in the country.
‘End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’, number two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) read.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP) Hunger Map estimates, 6.7 million Angolans have insufficient food consumption, including 37 percent of children under age five.
WFP had raised concerns over severe food shortages and rising hunger in the country.
WFP, in another report, also said high food prices and a locust infestation had caused severe damage to crops, compounding the effects of the drought and hampering people’s ability to access nutritious food.
Data from UNICEF shows that Angola is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years, with an estimated 3.81 million people reported to have insufficient food consumption in the six southern provinces of the country.
‘With this money, I want to buy food to give to the child and if I have any left over I will make a deal’, UNICEF quoted one of the caregivers, Laurieta Simões, as saying.
For children, the food crisis is even more severe. According to the IPC Acute Malnutrition, around 114,000 children under the age of five are suffering or likely to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next 12 months and therefore require treatment in southern Angola.
The Borgen Project noted that crop production has decreased by nearly 40 percent because of the drought, forcing more families into poverty.
The pandemic, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), triggered economic and health crises in Angola, with the decline in global oil prices further straining the country’s oil reliant economy.
In addition, the imposed restrictions further impacted livelihoods, leading to loss of family income and increased risks of poverty and hunger while at the same time heightening child protection concerns.
Angola’s government, it is understood, has created reception centres for families who left their homes searching for food in many municipalities in southern Angola to abate the food crisis situation especially for children.
Photo source: UNICEF Angola
