Fund shortage leaves 700,000 Cambodians in food limbo

The World Food Program has exhausted available funds for its feeding programs in Cambodia, leaving at least 700,000 people reliant on the programs in limbo, local media on Friday quoted a WFP official as saying.

Funding for the programs, which has been dwindling since late last year, has now completely dried up, WFP country director Thomas Keusters said.

"We have come to a standstill, basically," Keusters said, adding that feeding programs halted entirely on Thursday.

Those most affected by the lack of funds this year are 650,000 school-children, who formerly received meals from the WFP year- round, and nearly 100,000 AIDS and tuberculosis patients who received rations from the WFP during courses of medical treatment, he said.

The WFP warned late last month that the programs would end this month unless donors came up with 10 million U.S. dollars in aid, but the money has failed to materialize, he added.

The WFP fed a total of 1.1 million people in 2006, according to official statistics.

Source: Xinhua