SITUATION
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Cote d’Ivoire is a middle-income country that has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years. However, nearly half of Cote d’Ivoire’s 24 million people live under the national poverty line, according to the World Bank and the Government of Cote d’Ivoire. In addition, the 2017 Global Hunger Index notes that Cote d’Ivoire faces a serious level of hunger, with approximately 30 percent of children under 5 years of age suffering from chronic malnutrition.
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Civil conflict and instability following the disputed presidential election in November 2010 displaced more than half a million Ivoirians, many of whom fled to Liberia, Ghana, Guinea and Togo.
Population returns were disrupted and delayed when the Ebola outbreak prompted the closure of the land borders between Updated December 4, 2017 54% 43% 3% Cash Transfers for Food 54% Local and Regional Food Procurement 43% Complementary Services 3% Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Guinea in 2014; the borders were officially reopened in 2016. As of October 2017, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that more than 25,000 Ivoirian refugees remained in neighboring nations. In addition, approximately 267,000 Ivoirian returnees were present in the country in October, according to UNHCR.
RESPONSE
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The USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP) provides emergency food assistance through implementing partners to vulnerable populations using Title II U.S. in-kind food, locally and regionally procured food, cash transfers and food vouchers. With this flexible approach, FFP is able to use the most efficient, appropriate tools to maximize program impact and reduce costs.
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To restore livelihoods, strengthen social cohesion and improve the resilience of communities affected by displacement, FFP enables the UN World Food Program (WFP) to assist returnees and host community members in Cote d’Ivoire through foodfor-assets and cash-for-assets activities. This versatile program brings returnees and host communities together to build infrastructure and enhance income generation, thereby advancing community relationships, fostering the sustainable reintegration of the returnees and improving food security and nutrition. With support from FFP, WFP has assisted approximately 188,000 people with asset-building activities since 2015.
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FFP also partners with WFP to distribute food purchased in local and regional markets to Ivoirian returnees. WFP provides a three-month ration—composed of rice, pulses and vegetable oil—to Ivoirians arriving at UNHCR welcome centers. Since 2015, WFP has furnished repatriation food packages to 28,000 returnees.