Flood response: Australia to give A$5m aid for life-saving nutrition support

ISLAMABAD: Australia will provide life-saving nutrition support to the Pakistan flood response through an additional AUD5 million in immediate humanitarian assistance, the Australian High Commission here said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Australian High Commission stated that the 2022 flooding left an estimated 1.6 million severely malnourished children needing lifesaving nutrition services across the 84 flood-affected districts. Over 60 per cent of these affected children are without essential nutrition services.

“This additional assistance reflects Australia’s commitment to the people of Pakistan. As Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said, we are concerned by the growing scale of food insecurity and human suffering in many parts of the world,” said Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Neil Hawkins.

According to the statement, Australia will provide AUD $3.5 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to scale-up services for the prevention of malnutrition among children, adolescent girls and pregnant women. This support will also help mothers screen their children at home for malnutrition and strengthen Pakistan’s capacity to respond to nutrition emergencies.

In addition, it added that Australia will provide A$1.5 million through CARE Pakistan to provide nutrition and livelihood support for flood-affected communities, particularly women and children, in the Matiari District of Sindh.

“The support will improve the nutritional status of vulnerable children and women through cash grants, kitchen garden kits and training on agriculture and livestock practices,” the statement added.

Australia’s total assistance to the 2022 Pakistan floods now stands at AUD $10.2 million. Australia’s first tranche supported food security of flood-affected communities through cash transfers and minor rehabilitation works in partnership with the World Food Programme, it added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023