Emergency Food Assistance in Burundi - World Food Programme 2007

Declining social and economic conditions resulting from 13 years of civil war have left most Burundians vulnerable to food insecurity. In addition limited livelihood alternatives and reliance on inadequate food production strong competition for natural resources and arable land and the prevalence of small landholdings that are insufficient to meet household food needs have exacerbated already inadequate access to sufficient and nutritious food for most households. CIDA's contribution is supporting the World Food Programme (WFP) to help provide much needed food assistance to an estimated 1.1 million beneficiaries including refugees asylum-seekers and returnees. Activities focus on providing food assistance to people affected by drought and conflict; protecting and strengthening livelihoods and enhancing resilience to shocks for vulnerable households in the most food-insecure areas; improving the nutrition and health status of children mothers people living with HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable people; and supporting access to education particularly for girls.