The United States has pledged $1 million as food assistance to Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

The amount will be delivered by USAID to the World Food Programme to help it provide basic food for nearly 17,000 Bhutanese refugees residing in Nepal, the WFP said. “USAID’s contribution to WFP is part of our global effort to respond to protracted crises. The United States has contributed almost US$34 million to provide food assistance to refugees from Bhutan in Nepal between 2006 and 2016,” the acting mission director for USAID Nepal, Amy Tohill-Stull, said.

The WFP claimed to have distributed around 730 metric tonnes of food to refugees so far in 2016 with focus on children under five, pregnant women, nursing mothers and HIV and TB patients. “WFP is also promoting the expansion of vegetable gardens with tools, seeds and guidance, in order to complement the refugees’ food basket and promote self-reliance,” the world’s largest humanitarian agency for ending hunger and promoting food security said.

“The refugee community is very happy about the news of USAID’s support and I would like to thank donors for their support for the Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal,” camp secretary of Sanischare refugee camp in Jhapa Champa Singh Rai said.