Amina Ayed (75 years old) collects a complete monthly ration for one person that is...

The basket distributions were started as part of the Oil-for-Food Programme, following the lifting of the UN sanctions cap on Iraqi export oil sales. One persons rations consist of: 200 grams of tea, 250 grams of chick peas, 125 grams of beans, 125 grams of lentils, 1 kilogram of cooking oil, 2 kilograms of sugar, 3 kilograms of rice, 8 kilograms of flour, 125 grams of milk powder (for adults), 100 grams of iodized salt, 8 tins (6 kilograms) of Dielac (baby formula) and 800 grams of Ridelac (supplementary baby food). Also included are: 2 bars of soap and 500 grams of detergent powder. Additional Info: Until January 2003, the situation of children and women in Iraq remains critical. One million children under five in southern and central Iraq continue to suffer from chronic malnutrition. Some 60 per cent of the entire population depend on monthly Government food rations, making them extremely vulnerable to any disruption in these supplies in the event of conflict. Widespread poverty and crumbling infrastructure, the result of years of conflict and 12 years of international economic sanctions, have affected all sectors, including massive deterioration of the country's water and sanitation systems.