Attachments
Highlights
In December, WFP organized several nutrition-related workshops, including
(i) a high-level Fill the Nutrient Gap analysis dissemination event;
(ii) validation workshops on the feasibility of decentralized supply chains for the National School Feeding and Nutrition Programme in Lhuentse and Chhukha districts.
Furthermore, WFP supported the Ministry of Health to carry out data analysis on a health and nutrition assessment of monastic institutes.
Operational Update
• WFP organized a Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG) stakeholder validation workshop and a high-level dissemination workshop in Thimphu. The findings of the FNG analysis were presented to representatives from the Government and United Nations agencies for validation, which were then presented to a highlevel forum chaired by the Minister of Health. The analysis points to poor dietary quality and overconsumption of staples, which are drivers of malnutrition in the country. Meeting nutrient needs costs more than four times as much as meeting energy needs. The analysis will inform the ongoing preparation of the Government’s 13th Five-Year Plan.
• WFP facilitated two supply chain decentralization workshops for the National School Feeding and Nutrition Programme in Lhuentse and Chhukha districts respectively. More than 70 key officials from district administration, principals, mess-in-charges, school administration officers, and Food Corporation Bhutan Limited – the main distributors of nonperishable food items, attended the workshops. The workshops aimed to validate the feasibility of a decentralized supply chain model and to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of supply provision modalities on non-perishable foods. The decentralized model programme will be initiated in these two pilot districts in July to identify key lessons and compare between centralized and decentralized modalities.
• WFP, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, organized a ‘Healthy meals we prepare’ video competition among feeding schools in the country. As part of the competition, schools were required to share a nutritious recipe and highlight the achievements of their school agriculture programme.
The top three entries will receive cooking equipment and kitchen supplies. The winning entry was submitted to the ‘Healthy School Meals I prepare’ global campaign, organized by the School Meals Coalition, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP.
Operational Update • WFP organized a Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG) stakeholder validation workshop and a high-level dissemination workshop in Thimphu. The findings of the FNG analysis were presented to representatives from the Government and United Nations agencies for validation, which were then presented to a highlevel forum chaired by the Minister of Health. The analysis points to poor dietary quality and overconsumption of staples, which are drivers of malnutrition in the country. Meeting nutrient needs costs more than four times as much as meeting energy needs. The analysis will inform the ongoing preparation of the Government’s 13th Five-Year Plan.
• WFP facilitated two supply chain decentralization workshops for the National School Feeding and Nutrition Programme in Lhuentse and Chhukha districts respectively. More than 70 key officials from district administration, principals, mess-in-charges, school administration officers, and Food Corporation Bhutan Limited – the main distributors of nonperishable food items, attended the workshops. The workshops aimed to validate the feasibility of a decentralized supply chain model and to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of supply provision modalities on non-perishable foods. The decentralized model programme will be initiated in these two pilot districts in July to identify key lessons and compare between centralized and decentralized modalities.
• WFP, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, organized a ‘Healthy meals we prepare’ video competition among feeding schools in the country. As part of the competition, schools were required to share a nutritious recipe and highlight the achievements of their school agriculture programme.
The top three entries will receive cooking equipment and kitchen supplies. The winning entry was submitted to the ‘Healthy School Meals I prepare’ global campaign, organized by the School Meals Coalition, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP.
• WFP supported the Ministry of Health to carry out a data analysis workshop for the health and nutrition assessment of monastic institutes from 9–17 December in Wangdue Phodrang. Officials from the ministry’s nutrition programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WFP participated in the workshop. The assessment results will provide insights into the health and nutritional status of monks and nuns in the country, based on which interventions will be developed.
• WFP supported the Regional Agriculture Marketing and Cooperative Office to organize business-tobusiness (B2B) linkage meetings in Zhemgang and Gelephu. The meetings were attended by 17 vegetable vendors, aggregators, cooperatives, and gewog (block) renewable natural resources officials. The objective was to bring the producers, sellers, and aggregators together for knowledge and experience sharing, and to create sustainable business linkages. The B2B linkage has been successful in linking turmeric and ginger producers to a cooperative, trial marketing of ginger and beans, and involving the Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited to facilitate ginger marketing in collaboration with gewog extension offices. The initiative aims to improve access to markets, and minimize vegetable and fruits imports through increased and diversified domestic production. WFP supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to deliver two regional workshops on humanitarian supply chain and logistics management. The workshops took place in Punakha and Trashigang districts from 07 to 18 November, with the participation of 34 officials from western and southern Bhutan who are the focal points for emergency logistics response. The consultations compiled logistics capacity information on locally available assets in each district to develop consolidated district-level logistics preparedness action plans.