Relief Assistance for Chad

Chad

The grant was extended in support of WFP's humanitarian food and nutrition assistance operations in Chad and is successfully completed. This program aimed to stabilize or improve the nutritional status of vulnerable women and children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition by providing them with specialized nutritious products. The objective of this activity was to save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies. In 2016, the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition for malnourished children aged 6-59 months and pregnant and lactating women was provided through 360 health centres run by the Government with the support of WFP and NGO partners. Under the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), in 2016, a total of more than 150,000 beneficiaries were reached. This represents more than 70% of the planned beneficiaries. The other 30% were not supported due to limited funding available to WFP. Community health workers carry out active screening in villages measuring children’s mid-upper arm circumference. Children who are found to be malnourished are then referred to the health center for treatment. At the center, the body mass index of the child is calculated by verifying his/her height and weight and the eligibility of the child can be confirmed. in 2017, compared with the previous year, treatment performance indicators indicated a stabilization and slight improvement in terms of recovery rates, participation and coverage related to the programme. These findings can be partly attributed to the continuous positive impact of WFP's nutrition, education and counselling programme, providing training for parents and community sensitization on nutrition, as well as the use of appropriate nutritious foods. Active mass screening conducted within the prevention of acute malnutrition during the lean season helped the programme to substantially increase its coverage. Moreover, the intervention was largely on track in terms of outputs by meeting yearly planned targets. In 2017, monitoring findings showed a stable food security situation among returnee populations, while there was a notable improvement among refugee households in camps compared to the previous year (poor FCS decreased by 15 points). These findings can largely be explained by a healthy resource situation for this activity in 2017 compared with 2016, permitting the country office to maintain assistance during the year without pipeline breaks or ration cuts. General distribution to local populations: In 2017, WFP provided timely assistance through in-kind or cash-based transfers to the most vulnerable households facing critical food shortages during the lean season. Prevention of chronic malnutrition in children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and lactating women In 2017, WFP was largely on target reaching nearly all planned beneficiaries. All targeted health centres for the prevention of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies intervention were reached during the year. Consequently, targets in terms of coverage were achieved. Food assistance for assets: In 2017, food assistance-for-assets (FFA) interventions were scaled up by WFP and reached full implementation in several regions. Food consumption and diet diversity improved while there was a remarkable reduction, indicating that households receiving assistance are less likely to adopt consumption-based coping strategies. At the community level, there was an improvement in the percentage of communities with an increased base of functioning assets. As for outputs reflecting asset creation activities and trainings of partners, the project saw a certain overachievement, which is largely due to cautious planning in 2017 as a first year of full implementation. Targets for 2018 will be revised based on this experience. Underachievements were mainly due to operational delays reducing the implementation time for land rehabilitation activities.