Military

DATE=12/25/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=WFP/KENYA

NUMBER=2-297795

BYLINE= LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United Nations World Food Program says it is very concerned that it has received no response to an appeal it issued earlier in the month on behalf of 220-thousand refugees in Kenya. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the agency warns food supplies will run out in mid-January.

TEXT: The World Food Program says nearly one quarter of a million Sudanese and Somali refugees in Kenya are totally dependent for their survival on food assistance from the agency. It says the refugees are not allowed to leave their camps to look for work, and they do not have any land to cultivate.

W-F-P spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume says the agency has been forced to cut food rations on several occasions during the year because of lack of supplies. She says the refugees are facing an even more critical situation now.

///FIRST BERTHIAUME ACTUALITY///

By mid-January, if we do not have new contributions, we will have nothing for food distribution. At least we will not have any maize, which is the basic meal. We still have a little bit of vegetable oil and salt. But, this also will be running out by March or April if we do not have more contributions.

///END ACT///

Earlier this month, the World Food Program appealed for 11-million U-S dollars to provide food for the refugees in Kenya until September.

Ms. Berthiaume says 70 percent of the refugee children are close to malnutrition, and a further reduction of the rations will have a devastating effect. In addition, she says aid workers are concerned that the lack of food could create security problems in the camps.

///SECOND BERTHIAUME ACTUALITY///

There are no security problems right now, but there could be. And this is what we are scared of. Obviously, people are not happy when we tell them that we do not have enough food, and hungry people are desperate. And it happened in the past that we had riots and problems because we did not have enough food for distribution.

///END ACTUALITY///

World Food Program spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume says a serious crisis in the Kenya camps can be avoided if contributions come in quickly and food distribution is not interrupted. (Signed)

NEB/LS/AWP/FC