Providing emergency assistance to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia through the Fund for Food Emergency Aid

The Louis Dreyfus Foundation’s Fund for Emergency Food Aid aims to ensure a basic level of subsistence in terms of food and water to populations affected by extreme weather events and humanitarian crises.

Political unrest and violence in Burkina Faso has left over 1.2 million people in need of urgent assistance. Growing insecurity has greatly affected people’s ability to sustain a healthy life to over 920,000 displaced persons as of June 2020, with children representing 59%. 

The Foundation joined the World Food Programme (WFP)’s emergency plan for school feeding of displaced children to secure supply of 103 mt of food to 8,000 school children. These children will receive a hot nutritious lunch (made with rice and beans) for a period of over two months. 

In addition, as part of our Fund for Food Emergency Aid, the Foundation contributed to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s response to the desert locust upsurge in Ethiopia. 

Ethiopia is severely affected by the largest desert locust invasion in over 25 years that is causing major damage to crops, pastures and rangelands and pushing millions of people into food insecurity. Foundation’s contribution will help to support livelihoods of 700 farmers through the provision of packages to re-engage in the next production season. Input packages will include a diverse set of seeds to ensure a variety of nutritious foods in order to improve both the food security and nutrition status of beneficiaries. 

photo credit: © FAO/Michael Tewelde