CERF provides $7 million in response to food assistance in Senegal

11 April 2012: The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has given US$7 million to four UN agencies to provide emergency food aid for most food insecure people in Senegal.

In Senegal, according to United Nations estimates, some 850,000 persons are food insecure. Many households have begun to adapt negative coping strategies, such as limiting the quantity and the number of meals consumed each day, or going into debt in to buy household food. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that some 500,000 children under age 5 are at risk of some form of malnutrition in Senegal, and predicts that 20,000 children will need life-saving treatment for severe acute malnutrition – a major killer of children under age 5. An estimated 100,000 children also suffer from moderate acute malnutrition in the country.

In response, the World Food Programme (WFP) was given $4 million by CERF to distribute a daily ration of food for the most 237,000 people. A grant of $2.1 million was given to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to restore the livelihoods of vulnerable households affected by poor agricultural output during the 2011-2012 season; some 194,000 people will benefit from the CERF-funded FAO project. UNICEF received a grant of $535,000 and the World Health Organization (WHO) received $266,000 to support children suffering from severe acute malnutrition through providing therapeutic food, medical supplies and medical assistance.

As of 20 April 2012