Directora da KOICA em Moçambique, Jinjoo Hyun (a esquerda), e a representante do PMA em Moçambique, Antonella D’Aprile assinam acordo
Maputo, 22 Feb (AIM) – The South Korean government, through its International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has pledged to disburse four million dollars to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support internally displaced people in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
The disbursement agreement was signed, on Wednesday, in Maputo, by the director of KOICA in Mozambique, Jinjoo Hyun, and the director of the WFP in Mozambique, Antonella D’Aprile.
The money will be given to the WFP as part of the project entitled “Improving food security and the resilience of vulnerable communities in contributing to the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus in fragile areas of northern Mozambique.”
The project takes place at a moment when extreme violence, carried out by Islamist terrorists in some regions of Cabo Delgado, is tending to rise, forcing more people to look for shelter in resettlement centers.
A preliminary record of people displaced in recent days over the provincial boundary into Nampula province, according to the authorities, exceeds 30,000. The conflict has left many vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition, especially women and children.
The South Korean grant will also be used to restore local ecosystems and strengthen community resilience to extreme weather events in Cabo Delgado over the next three years, as well as to empower the victims in line with broader stabilization and peace-building efforts.
“This project, implemented under the Conflict and Fragility Programme, will increase the resilience of 50,000 beneficiaries and support their efforts to build a peaceful and resilient future, giving priority to female-headed households”, Hyun said.
Hyun believes that the new wave of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado has the potential to cause further displacement, so intervention is urgently needed.
For her part, D’Aprile said that the funds will be used to create income-generating opportunities within the agricultural and fisheries value chains, with a special focus on empowering women and young people.
“The communities have faced significant challenges in recent years and through this programme we aim to support them in becoming more self-sufficient”, D’Aprile said, adding that the support from South Korea, which has been a firm partner of the WFP in Mozambique, contributes to the long-term development and resilience of the people.
(AIM)
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