WFP and Rwanda marking African Day of School Feeding. This was in March 2020.
Kigali, Rwanda — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is running critically low on funding in Rwanda and has had to cut food rations for refugees by half, even as the number of people depending on its assistance continues to grow.
The decision comes at a time of rising food prices, deepening the strain on thousands of families already struggling to survive.
According to WFP’s latest report published as end April 2025, refugees now receive only 50 percent of the food assistance they need to meet their daily nutritional needs. The reason: a serious shortage of funds.
The situation has worsened since December 2023, when WFP was already reporting significant budget gaps. At that time, the agency managed to distribute 283.6 metric tonnes of food and provide USD 763,612 in cash-based transfers (CBT).
By April 2025, these figures dropped to 43.85 metric tonnes of food and USD 484,489 in CBT — reductions of over 84% and 36.5% respectively.
Despite these cuts, WFP reached 163,014 people in April 2025, up from 136,642 in December 2023. This increase includes not only refugees and asylum seekers but also Rwandan returnees and host community children who attend schools in refugee-hosting areas.
Who Is Receiving Aid Now?
WFP’s April 2025 support covered:
- 115,622 registered refugees
- 4,910 unregistered asylum seekers
- 700 Rwandan returnees who received three months of food assistance as cash transfers
- 8,379 host community children studying in the same schools as refugee children
The agency also supported 1,071 individuals participating in livelihood programs and nutrition education.
But for most of these people, the assistance they receive is no longer enough. Refugees have reported being forced to skip meals, borrow money, or let adults go hungry so children can eat.
Complaints are rising across camps as families struggle to make ends meet with only half of the calories they need.
School Meals Continue – But Under Pressure
Amidst the challenges, WFP has kept up its school feeding efforts. In partnership with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education and local authorities, WFP is providing daily meals to 32,296 children across 32 schools in three districts: Kayonza, Burera, and Gasabo.
The meals not only boost children’s nutrition but also help improve school attendance. WFP has also started distributing fortified corn-soy-blend (CSB++) to pre-primary children in Kayonza district — a targeted move to tackle early childhood malnutrition.
WFP is now working with the government to explore scaling up fortified whole-grain maize meal across the national school feeding programme starting in September 2025.
Rising Prices Make Food Less Affordable
The cost of food is also rising sharply. In April 2025, the average monthly food basket cost was RWF 12,570, up from RWF 10,761 in December 2023. This is a 16.8 percent increase in just four months, and a 52 percent jump compared to April 2024.
Prices of basic staples like dry beans and maize grain rose by 7 percent between March and April alone, driven by falling food stocks and higher market demand. With smaller cash transfers, families can now afford far less than before — a double blow for those already receiving reduced rations.
To keep its operations going from May to October 2025, WFP needs USD 13 million, of which USD 6.3 million is urgently required just to restore the previous 75 percent ration level.
Without additional funding, WFP warns that it may be forced to suspend cash-based transfers entirely by August 2025.
Meanwhile, new needs continue to emerge. From November 2022 to April 2025, 16,729 Congolese asylum seekers — and a small group from Sudan — have arrived in Rwanda fleeing conflict. These arrivals are increasing pressure on an already overstretched system.
Strategic Focus Shifts Toward Long-Term Solutions
Despite funding gaps, WFP is not just providing aid — it’s helping Rwanda build long-term resilience.
In partnership with the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), WFP is supporting the Refugee Sustainable Graduation Strategy, aimed at helping refugees become self-reliant.
In addition, WFP is working with the National Child Development Agency (NCDA) and the National Institute of Statistics on a new study to map risks of inadequate micronutrient intake (MIMI).
The findings, expected later in 2025, will shape national nutrition policies, especially to combat persistent stunting, which still affects 29.7 percent of children under five.
WFP also continues to support smallholder farmers through climate-resilient agriculture training, particularly women and youth. These efforts are part of broader food system reforms under a new partnership called SheCan, which enhances digital literacy, financial access, and economic inclusion.
A Plea for Urgent Support
While Rwanda has made great strides in reducing poverty — now at 27.4 percent, down from 38.2 percent in 2023 — the challenges of food insecurity remain urgent. Refugees, returnees, and vulnerable host communities still depend heavily on WFP’s lifeline.
But that lifeline is fraying.
Unless donors step in quickly, WFP may have no choice but to make further painful cuts, leaving tens of thousands of people hungrier — and at greater risk.
“We are doing everything we can with what we have,” WFP says. “But without new funding, even the basic support we offer today may disappear tomorrow.”
