The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received over 2,500 metric tons of rice worth USD 2.9 million from the Republic of Korea to support 600,000 refugees across thirteen settlements and 200,000 schoolchildren in Uganda’s food-insecure Karamoja region. The handover took place at WFP’s logistics hub in Gulu, marking a significant boost at a time when severe funding gaps have forced major cuts in humanitarian assistance.
WFP currently assists 700,000 refugees with food, cash support, nutrition programmes, and initiatives aimed at building self-reliance. Earlier this year, funding shortages compelled the suspension of food aid to one million refugees and deep ration cuts for others. Korea’s latest contribution provides crucial relief and demonstrates strong international solidarity, according to WFP Country Director Lauren Landis.
The rice donation will also strengthen school feeding efforts in Karamoja, where WFP and the Government provide daily hot meals to more than 255,000 children across 320 schools. This support is vital in a region where chronic malnutrition affects one in four children, and school meals often play a key role in improving education outcomes and nutrition.
Ambassador Park Sung-soo highlighted Korea’s commitment to humanitarian principles and praised Uganda’s generosity in hosting refugees. He noted that supporting both refugees and schoolchildren helps address immediate food insecurity while contributing to long-term human capital development by ensuring access to nutrition and education.
Uganda currently hosts about 1.9 million refugees, the largest refugee population in Africa, mainly from Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Korea has been a long-standing partner to WFP in Uganda, contributing more than 26,000 metric tons of rice since 2018.
