Officers distribute food to drought-stricken areas

OFFICERS from the United Nations World Food Programme and the Government last week distributed food supplies to drought-affected people in the Pilikambi Local Level Government in Enga.
The impact of the drought is still being felt by around 180,000 people who had lost their food gardens and faced food shortages. The UN partners have been concerned about hunger and food insecurity in the country caused by the drought.
The officers, including those from Care International, distributed food to about 45,795 people (9159 families) in Pilikambi and Wage in Enga.
Each family received 70kg of rice, plus complements of essential vitamins and minerals calculated to last six weeks.
The UN food programme plans to reach 180,000 people in the country.
Reports show that PNG women frequently skipped meals during periods of food shortage. Nearly half of the people who had already received food are women, including widows and divorcees.
The cost of the three-month operation designed to support the Government response to the drought in PNG is US$12.6 million (about K39 million).