Refugees in Dzaleka are facing worsening food shortages, with the World Food Programme warning that it has no confirmed funding to continue assistance beyond August.
Residents say the K21,000 monthly cash transfer they receive is already too little to cover food for an entire month.
Niyibigira Costasia, a 55-year-old refugee from Rwanda, said she regularly goes to bed without eating.
Costasia has lived with a disability since she was shot during the 1994 conflict in Rwanda. She also has diabetes and high blood pressure, making access to adequate food especially important for her health.
“Although I receive a monthly cash transfer of K21,000 from the World Food Programme, the money is not enough to meet my basic needs for a full month,” she said.
Ebambi Ngoy Marie Jeanne, 56, who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014, said food shortages have made daily life increasingly difficult.
She fears the situation will become worse if WFP assistance stops in September.
WFP Head of Programme Aachal Chand said the organisation currently has no confirmed funding beyond August.
“Currently, we give a monthly cash transfer of US$12, equivalent to about K21,000, which is insufficient to meet the food needs of refugees and asylum seekers,” Chand said.
She appealed to donors to provide funding so that food assistance can continue.
Vincent Chaduka, Principal Administration Officer in the Department of Refugees, said the government is engaging development partners to secure additional support.
