The World Food Programme (WFP) said Thursday it has received a 71.44-million donation from the European Union to tackle the food crisis in 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa.

WFP said the funds received through its humanitarian aid department have been immediately put to work to address the unprecedented needs caused by the global effects of the war in Ukraine, climate shocks, conflict, and economic pressures.

“Targeting 11 countries, the contribution allows WFP to provide life-saving assistance at a time when humanitarian needs continue to soar,” it said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The special funding will be used for WFP’s operations in DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

WFP said much of the funding will go toward meeting the basic food and nutrition needs of millions of people across eastern and southern Africa.

“This includes, among other emergencies, the millions of people in need of assistance in Sudan, those affected by conflict in northern Mozambique, and Burundian and Congolese refugees in Tanzania,” it said.