CERF allocates $5 million to treat severe malnutirion and related diseases in Guatemala
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| A toddler weighed at a feeding center [Photo: UNICEF] |
1 October 2009: Guatemala has the highest rate of malnutrition in Latin America, with 50 percent of all children suffering from chronic malnutrition. The situation has been exacerbated in recent months by prolonged drought caused by El Niño. The country is facing its worse food crisis in recent years, with additional crop losses anticipated by the end of 2009. This prompted the Government of Guatemala to declare a state of emergency and seek urgent humanitarian assistance from the international community.
In support of this humanitarian response, CERF has provided $5 million to five UN agencies operating in the country. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will operate in concert with local authorities, international donors and other humanitarian partners to provide immediate assistance to 65,000 families. The grant will allow these agencies to implement emergency agriculture, food, nutrition and health programmes in the country.
[Last Update: 6 October 2009]