Attachments
In Numbers
10,344 mt in-kind food assistance distributed
USD 3.93 million in cash transferred to beneficiaries in December 2024
USD 22.4 million six-month net funding requirements (January – June 2025) representing 54 percent of total needs.
791,220 people assisted in December 2024
Operational Updates
In December, WFP assisted 791,220 people, including 673,996 drought-affected individuals and refugees through crisis response (cash-based transfers and food distributions); 16,583 people through nutrition improvement interventions; 100,513 individuals through smallholder farmer support and resilience interventions; and 128 people through training on capacity strengthening activities.
Crisis Response: Refugee Support Programmes
Food assistance for refugees: WFP continues to provide cashbased transfers to refugees and asylum seekers at the Mantapala refugee settlement. In December, WFP assisted 8,976 refugees (4,555 female and 4,421 male).
Strengthened Livelihoods and Building Self-Reliance (SLABS) of Refugees and Host Communities in Mantapala: In collaboration with Africa Action Help International (AAH), WFP concluded the distribution of inputs in the Mantapala Refugee Settlement and the surrounding host community. By the end of December, all 1,200 (1000 refugees and 200 host community) beneficiaries of the SLABs Project had redeemed their input packs, which contained maize, groundnuts, beans, cassava cuttings, and various vegetables.
Crisis response: Drought Food Assistance Interventions
In December, WFP assisted 654,280 people across six provinces in Zambia. During this time, 10,344 metric tons of in-kind food distributions reached 92,355 individuals. Additionally, 498,570 people received cash-based transfers, while 63,355 people were provided with commodity vouchers. WFP responded to urgent food needs while also supporting local markets and retailers.
Nutrition improvement support
Gender and Nutrition: To advance gender, protection, and inclusion efforts, WFP partnered with the Zambia Agency for People with Disabilities (ZAPD), the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS), the United Nations Information Centre and the Resident Coordinator’s office to conduct training on disability-inclusive food security programming in Zambia’s Western and Southern provinces. A total of 46 participants (30 female and 16 male) from organizations for persons with disabilities attended, fostering networking and enabling MCDSS and Ministry of Agriculture representatives to align priorities and share knowledge. While participants displayed a strong awareness of community-based drought coping mechanisms, they faced challenges in long-term planning, setting feasible objectives, and designing inclusive community engagement plans. Gaps in accessibility and timely participant coordination highlighted the need for improved accommodations in future initiatives. A request was made for WFP and partners to enhance food assistance access for persons with disabilities through social protection safety nets and food distribution programmes.