Mission
Statement
WFP is the food aid arm of the United Nations system.
Food aid is one of the many instruments that can help
promote food security, which is defined as “access of
all people at all times to the food needed for an active
and healthy life”. The policies governing the use of
WFP food aid are oriented towards the objective of eradicating
hunger and poverty. The ultimate objective of food aid
is for the elimination of the need for food aid. Consistent
with its mandate, WFP continues to: (1) use food aid
to support economic and social development; (2) meet
refugee and other emergency food needs and the associated
logistic support; and, (3) promote world food security
in accordance with the recommendations of the UN and
FAO.
Overview
In the 1994 genocide about 800,000 people perished in
Rwanda and left its population deeply traumatised; social
structures broken down and economy destroyed. Continuous
regional insecurity in the Great Lakes added to refugee
flows. Currently more than 50,000 Rwandans are still
refugees in other countries of Africa and are only slowly
returning. Broken families, a large number of women-headed
households and orphans create a considerable group of
vulnerable people. Rwanda is ranked 158 out of 177 countries
on the 2006 UNDP HDI. Malnutrition and HIV further aggravate
the situation. Rwanda has limited natural resources
and has one of the highest population densities in Africa,
estimated at 310 inhabitants per square kilometre. 88
per cent of the population depends on agriculture, which
contributes 47 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
GDP per capita is low at US$195. Chronic food insecurity
is considerable, with 28 per cent or 2.1 million Rwandans
food insecure. The under-5 mortality rate is one of
the highest in the world at 152/1000. Stunting among
children is elevated at 45 per cent while Maternal Mortality
Rate is among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa at more
than 1,000/100,000 live births. Poverty is still widespread
with 57 per cent living under the poverty line
Summary of WFP Assistance
WFP has played a pivotal role in the development
and humanitarian sectors in Rwanda since 1975. Initially,
food was provided as life saving emergency assistance
to populations placed at risk as a result of natural
or man-made disasters. Since the genocide in 1994, WFP
has focused on providing relief assistance to populations
with immediate food assistance needs, while supporting
a framework for recovery and transition programmes to
contribute to the country’s gradual shift from emergency
to the present recovery and development phase. Within
this framework, WFP food assistance remains a key enabler
in the process of development in the country.
Objectives of WFP assistance
- Restore livelihoods and assets;
- Contribute to sustaining refugees and returnees, and encourage repatriation and resettlement;
- Improve the health and nutritional status of vulnerable people, especially women and children;
- Assist recovery of vulnerable population by contributing to agricultural production and rehabilitating social and economic infrastructures;
- Support self-reliance for people affected by HIV/AIDS;
- Contribute to increased primary-school enrolment and retention.
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