5 million Ukrainians facing hunger crisis – WFP
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, an estimated five million Ukrainians are facing food insecurity, with more than 3.6 million already displaced.
According to data collected by World Food Programme (WFP), millions of people are resorting to coping mechanisms, sacrificing their own meals so their children can eat. Others are going into debt to buy sufficient food supplies to feed their families.
Those mostly in dire situation are concentrated in areas near the frontlines.
The WFP is providing emergency food and cash assistance to 1.5 million people every month in the war-torn country.
“Despite these efforts, more than half of the people in the Kherson region in the south face severe hunger, and two out of every five individuals face hunger in Zaporizhzhia as well as the Donetsk region in the east.
“Families in frontline regions are struggling to put food on the table, forcing them to make heartbreaking choices just to get by,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Ukraine.
“As we look forward to sustainable peace in what is considered to be one of the world’s historical breadbasket regions, we must face the reality that humanitarian aid continues to be a lifeline for millions.”
According to WFP, 72 per cent of those who receive food assistance reported having to cut back on food, buy less nutritious food, skip meals, or borrow money to feed their family.
Across six frontline regions almost a third of all people are food insecure.
