WFP Aid to Reach Thousands of Bhutanese Refugees Despite Lack of Funding

UN World Food Programme (WFP) will continue to provide food aid to 10,800 of the most vulnerable Bhutanese refugees in February, according to official statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Despite a severe lack of funding, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) will provide food aid to 10,800 of the most vulnerable Bhutanese refugees in February, the organization said in a statement Friday.

"WFP continues to provide full rations to some 3,100 of the most vulnerable refugees including the elderly, people with disabilities, and single mothers … With the remainder of the funds available, WFP will continue to provide monthly rations of 10 kilograms of rice to the remaining 7,700 refugees," the statement said.

The full monthly rations consist of 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of food, including rice, vegetable oil, and a variety of dried pulses, or edible seeds, and will guarantee a daily consumption of 2,100 calories per person, the statement continued.

WFP will also promote the "expansion of vegetable gardens with tools, seeds and guidance" in an effort to promote self-reliance among refugees.

Bhutan, a country situated in the Himalayas between Tibet and India, has enacted restrictive citizenship laws, which led to widespread repression of Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese people, known as the Lhotshampas. As a result, over 100,000 Lhotshampas refugees fled the country to Nepal seeking asylum, since the early 1990s.