Sri Lanka donates rice to refugees in Horn of Africa

Wednesday, 21 March 2012 00:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka yesterday donated 10,000 metric tons of rice to the World Food Program which will be sent to Ethiopia, where tens of thousands of refugees have fled, after devastating drought contributed to famine in Somalia last year.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a symbolic hand over of the rice to WFP’s Acting Country Director Azeb Asrat at Temple Trees yesterday.

This is the first ever donation from the Government of Sri Lanka to WFP’s food operations abroad and the first shipment of 500 metric tons is scheduled to leave Colombo port in the next few days.

Speaking to a group of students who were present at Temple Trees during the handing over, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said it is a cherished value of Sri Lankans to help those who are in need and Sri Lanka is donating this consignment to benefit of people in Africa affected by a natural disaster.

Asrat while thanking President Rajapaksa for this goodwill gesture said this donation will help provide critical food and nutritional assistance to hungry people, in particular Somali families.

Acting Minister of External Affairs D.E.W. Gunasekara, Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Karunatilaka Amunugama, Secretary to the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Sunil S. Sirisena and representatives of the WFP were also present at the occasion.