Switzerland Supports WFP in Helping Social Inpatient Institutions in Kyrgyzstan to Cope with COVID-19 Hardships

WFP will use the funds to meet the immediate food needs and support the livelihoods of 3,100 residents of the country’s current social inpatient institutions and boarding schools for three months in the peak of COVID-19 outbreak. Residents of the social institutions – orphans, elderly and people with disabilities are the most severely affected by the current crisis. Emergency food assistance will be provided through WFP’s long-term partnership framework with Ministry of Labour and Social Development and Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic.

“WFP supports the Kyrgyz Government’s efforts to achieve the overall priority of Food Security for all, with specific focus on the vulnerable population. This contribution from the Government of Switzerland is critical to make sure that amidst the severe impact of the crisis we are able to guarantee that no one is left behind, including the most disadvantaged people who lives in closed institutions.

Thanks to the Swiss contribution, WFP will provide each social inpatient institution and boarding school with a 3-month food ration of 75 kg of fortified wheat flour and 8 litres of vitamin-rich oil per person. Such assistance will ensure their access to balanced and nutritious meals, while giving them the possibility of prioritizing some of the available economic resources and use them for addressing other pressing needs such as health, sanitary and hygiene, protection.

As safety, protection, and dignity of the residents in the social institutions are of pivotal importance, WFP will ensure all precautionary measures during food delivery and handling.

“We would like to thank WFP, our long-standing partner for improving the livelihoods of the country’s poorest populations, and the Government of Switzerland for their commitment to support the people of Kyrgyzstan. At this time of crisis, every effort counts to ensure tailored social support to the most vulnerable people,” said Minister of Labour and Social Development, Ulugbek Kochkorov.

WFP, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, is the United Nations (UN) agency leading the critical sectors of food security and logistics. In this role, WFP is also supporting emergency food distributions to the most vulnerable people across the country to cover their immediate food needs during the crisis.

This assistance is provided as part of the joint humanitarian response of the Emergency Response Coordination Unit, which was activated on March 16, 2020 at the request of the government to assist in emergency preparedness and response to COVID-19 and training to early recovery. Led by the UN Resident Coordinator, the State Committee for Emergency Situations gives priority and directs its support to six priority sectors on early recovery, education, food security and logistics, health, protection and the integrated sector of water sanitation and hygiene and non-food products. The State Committee for Emergencies was established in 2008, and its interagency teams include representatives of ministries, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and the donor community.

For more details about the activity of the Swiss Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic please contact: Tursunai Chodurova, Swiss Embassy/Bishkek, Tel: +996 770 710054, email: tursunai.chodurova@eda.admin.ch   

For more information about WFP please contact: Elizabeth Zalkind, WFP/Bishkek, Tel: +996 312 660033, Mobile: +996 555 940 420, email: elizabeth.zalkind@wfp.org

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The Government of Switzerland provides assistance for the development of the Kyrgyz Republic. Since 1994, Switzerland has granted more than CHF 400 million to Kyrgyzstan (more than KGS 28 billion) in the form of technical, financial and humanitarian support.  For more information, please visit https://www.eda.admin.ch/bishkek.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

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