USAID humanitarian advisor hears first-hand account of plight faced by communities affected by food insecurity

Dustin Shiau with a group of people in Mullaitivu, who received cash assistance from WFP through USAID funding

Sri Lanka’s struggling communities were able to share their plight first-hand with an international donor agency, with a senior USAID humanitarian advisor having visited those affected by the prevailing food insecurity.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka recently welcomed Dustin Shiau, Senior Regional Programme Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), on a visit to the island nation, where he met with food-insecure communities and heard first-hand accounts of the difficulties they are facing and how the USAID and WFP support has helped provide regular meals for their families.

During his visit, Shiau met with communities from Mullaitivu in the North of Sri Lanka, who are among those worst affected by the economic crisis, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and people with disabilities, to better understand their nutritional needs.    

This year, the US has provided a record total US $ 20 million (approximately Rs.7.3 billion) to support the WFP’s response to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Of that, the USAID’s most recent contribution of US $ 13 million (approximately Rs.4.7 billion) is providing cash assistance and food rations to families hard-hit by the economic crisis across the country. The USAID also donated funds to the WFP to help feed children enrolled in the national school meal programme.  The United States of America is a significant contributor to the WFP’s emergency operation in Sri Lanka and the single largest donor to the WFP globally. “We are immensely grateful for the contribution from the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which has enabled us to swiftly expand our emergency operation, so we can help more people access regular, nutritious meals. We welcome Shiau’s visit to Sri Lanka, where he has witnessed how valuable the USAID’s contribution is to food-insecure communities,” said WFP Sri Lanka Representative and Country Director Abdur Rahim Siddiqui.  According to the latest WFP surveys, seven out of 10 households are adopting negative coping strategies -- such as limiting portion sizes or skipping meals altogether -- to deal with high food prices and reduced incomes. The US funding comes at a critical time to help safeguard these communities and prevent them from adopting potentially damaging coping strategies.  The USAID’s long-time support to the WFP and Government of Sri Lanka includes disaster risk reduction initiatives related to floods and landslides. During his visit, Shiau participated in a live demonstration of a mapping exercise in Moratuwa – an area susceptible to weather-related natural disasters – to understand the process by which authorities use Geographic Information System (GIS) software to identify where the most vulnerable communities may be hardest-hit during an emergency. 

With support from donors like the US, the WFP is rapidly scaling up its emergency operation, which commenced in June, with plans to provide food and nutrition assistance to 3.4 million people. The WFP has so far reached over one million people with cash, food and vouchers and through the national school meal programme.