US donation eases Osire shortages

The US government has made a US $330,000 donation to WFP for urgent food procurement for the Osire refugee camp in Namibia. WFP said the contribution was received last week and was being used for the purchase of maize meal, sugar and salt. While the donation would ease pipeline difficulties in Namibia for the next two months, the camp continues to receive only an 80 percent ration. WFP said a joint meeting was held in early March with UNHCR, Namibia Red Cross, and the Refugee Committee to alert them of the reduced March rations. “A second coordination meeting was held this week with UNHCR and the Namibia Red Cross in the camp to discuss plans for each agencies activities in the camp in light of serious funding shortfalls affecting all parties,” a WFP 21-28 March situation report noted. The current camp population is approximately 19,300, with the majority of the refugees from Angola.