Lack of funds: U.N. food aid to North Korean children at risk of being terminated

International food aid to North Korean children may be suspended by October due to a lack of funds at the World Food Program, Voice of America reported.
The U.N. agency has been curtailing food aid in recent months and in March already announced it could no longer provide nutritional bars to 190,000 North Korean children.

On Monday, the WFP confirmed the shortage and added if funding deadlines are not met by the end of April, the agency has no choice but to suspend all food to children in the country.

The U.N. agency has been meeting the needs of North Korean preschoolers with micronutrient-fortified biscuits, which satisfies two-thirds of the U.N. recommended daily amount.

But the WFP's funding crisis could place North Korean children, pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk of malnutrition, the organization said.

Other groups, however, are undertaking relief projects in North Korea.

The London-based NGO Save the Children is expected to pursue two missions related to disaster aid, according to VOA.
   [upi.com]
24/4/17