KSA donates dates to aid Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), has donated 667 metric tonnes of dates to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support Rohingya refugee children living in Bangladesh.
 
Officials from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, KSrelief, and the World Food Programme (WFP) marked this contribution at a handover ceremony today in Dhaka.
 
The dates will provide much-needed nourishment to Rohingya children attending learning centres as part of WFP's school feeding programme. The programme supports 250,000 children attending 3,500 learning centres in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.
 
While over one million Rohingya refugees remain entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, malnutrition rates within the refugee camps are alarmingly high, reaching over 15 per cent among children under five and rising to 20 per cent among children under two.
 
Saudi Arabia's contribution comes at a critical time. In March, a funding crisis nearly forced WFP to reduce rations by half starting in April. Thanks to timely support from our donor partners, WFP has been able to avert devastating food ration cuts and maintain the full ration, currently USD 12 per person per month in Cox's Bazar and USD 13 in Bhasan Char, for over one million Rohingya refugees. However, current funding only secures this assistance until the end of September 2025.
 
"We are proud to stand with the Rohingya people and to support WFP's efforts to deliver vital food assistance," said His Excellency, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dhaka, Abdulaziz Fahad M. Al Ibrahim. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief, reaffirms its commitment to humanitarian principles and to helping vulnerable communities worldwide."
 
"Providing nutritious food to Rohingya children is essential not only for their health but for their hope and dignity," said Dom Scalpelli, WFP Bangladesh Country Director. "We are deeply grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their steadfast support. The Rohingya crisis remains one of the world's most urgent humanitarian emergencies, and continued international solidarity is critical to sustaining lifesaving assistance."
 
Saudi Arabia has been a longstanding supporter of WFP's humanitarian efforts for the Rohingya since 2017, providing both cash and in-kind contributions to sustain food assistance in one of the world's most extensive refugee operations.
 
The World Food Programme (WFP) urgently requires USD 106 million for its critical Rohingya operations over the next 12 months. Of these, USD 83 million is needed to maintain full rations for the entire Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh.