Maiduguri: As hunger continues to escalate in northeastern Nigeria, the World Food Programme (WFP) is facing a severe funding crisis, threatening to cut food and nutrition assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the region. Iya and her family, living in the Mafa displacement camp, are among those affected. On good days, they barely manage to feed their large family; on bad days, their seven children go to bed hungry in their small mud-brick hut.

According to EMM, donations to WFP are drying up, forcing the organization to reduce its support even as conflict, insecurity, and extreme weather exacerbate hunger in the region. Children are likely to be among those most affected. Iya’s family, who fled their village of Dikwa a decade ago due to armed conflict, now faces the possibility of receiving no support at all. The area around Mafa camp is dangerous, with armed groups preventing farming and limited employment opportunities.

The Mafa camp, home to thousands of displaced people like Iya, relies on WFP’s monthly rations, which include essentials like cooking oil, sorghum, rice, and pinto beans. Many residents, previously self-sufficient farmers, now depend on this assistance. Yaanama, another camp resident, recalls her previous life in Boskoro, where farming provided for her family. Now, her family relies on WFP support and her husband’s odd jobs.

The funding shortfall also threatens to close 150 nutrition centers in northeastern Nigeria, ending treatment for 300,000 malnourished children. Mothers like Hafsat Rumanu and Fatima Mustapha Ali have seen improvements in their children’s health due to WFP’s nutrient-packed peanut paste. However, without additional funds, these lifesaving supplies may soon run out.

WFP’s efforts in the region are supported by international partners, including Canada, the European Union, France, Sweden, UN CERF, and the United Kingdom.