Food Assistance Fact Sheet - Rwanda

April 3, 2014

Food Security Situation

CIA World Factbook

• Despite strong economic growth over the past few years, Rwanda remains a low-income, food deficit country. Fifty-seven percent of Rwandans live below the poverty line and 37 percent are classified as ‘extremely poor’.

• Poverty remains largely rural-based; combined with limited access to land, these two factors cause most food insecurity in Rwanda.

• The Cost of Hunger in Africa study released in early 2014 shows the effects of hunger and undernutrition in Rwanda has cost the country $820 million annually. While Rwanda has made impressive progress in combating undernutrition and reducing stunting, its current rate of stunting of 44 percent is still high, and there are more stunted children in Rwanda than 10 years ago.
   
• Insecurity is still prevalent throughout the region. As a result, Rwanda is currently home to over 72,000 refugees.

Food Assistance Programs

• The Office of Food for Peace (FFP) now supports in part approximately 116,000 food insecure Congolese refugees and returnees within Rwanda.

• FFP partners with the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide food and nutritional assistance to Congolese refugees, and recovery support to Rwandan refugees returning home from neighboring countries. Through these efforts FFP and WFP aim to not only meet food needs but also reduce chronic malnutrition.

Food for Peace Contributions

Total Contributions:

Fiscal Year 2014 Contribution Breakdown To Date:

Note: FY: Fiscal Year; MT: Metric Ton; WFP: UN World Food Program

Food Security Situation information provided by UN as of March 2014.