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CAR

WFP Central African Republic Country Brief, July 2022

Attachments

In Numbers

1,582 mt of food assistance distributed

USD 3.7 m cash-based transfers made

USD 67.3 m six-month (Aug. 2022 – Jan. 2023) net funding requirements

616,070 people assisted in July 2022

Operational Updates

• WFP delivers food and nutrition assistance through its general food distributions (GFD), school feeding, nutrition and resiliencebuilding activities in the Central African Republic (CAR). In July, out of the 616,070 people assisted, 68 percent were residents, and 22 percent were internally displaced persons (IDPs), the remaining were refugees and returnees.

• Cash-based transfers scale-up: WFP is scaling up the cash-based transfer (CBT) modality to cope with current gaps and challenges in food supplies. The scale-up is planned for July – November 2022.
Working with nine cooperating partners, WFP plans to distribute immediate cash and e-vouchers in ten subprefectures, including Bangui. Overall, in July, USD 3.7 million were distributed to 367,275 beneficiaries (+ 97 percent compared to June). WFP provided food vouchers for nutritional assistance to 4,753 people, including people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy in Bangui, Yaloke, and Bria.

• General food distributions: 465,701 people received unconditional food assistance or cash transfers in July 2022. WFP and UNHCR jointly distributed food to 662 returnees from Cameroon and DRC. WFP in CAR is facing a scarcity of in-kind resources, leading to the distribution of half rations in all general food distribution activities since February 2022.

• Nutrition: Nutritional assistance for the prevention of malnutrition resumed after a two-month interruption: 22,020 children aged 6-23 months received 102 of specialized nutritious food. WFP and the Ministry of Health provided an integrated package for the treatment of malnutrition to 14,616 children with MAM aged 6-59 months and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) clients.
The preparation of the National Nutrition Survey based on the SMART methodology is ongoing and will assess the nutritional situation (prevalence and coverage) in all the Prefectures of the country.

• School feeding: School feeding activities ended in June due to the holiday season: during the 2021-2022 school year, 586 mt of food were distributed to 143,413 school children. WFP continues to support the development of the National School Feeding strategy.
In August, school meals were distributed to 4,016 children in crisis-affected families and 34,016 school children, all taking vacation classes, and to girls who passed their end-of-year exams, to encourage girls’ school enrolment in CAR.

• Resilience and livelihoods: 75,625 people received food assistance for asset creation (FFA). In July, the CBT scale-up allowed the transfer of USD 683,948 (+ 168 percent compared to June) for FFA activities, in addition to the 11.1 mt of food distributed. Preparation for the implementation of the Projet de Réponse d’Urgence à la Crise Alimentaire en Centrafrique (PRUCAC) is underway with cooperating partners.

• The first Protection Analysis Update (PAU) in CAR highlights the critical household impoverishment and deterioration of access to essential services: 9 out of 10 households use negative coping strategies, and one-third adopt emergency strategies that put them at risk. Recommendations encourage strengthening the response to sexual and gender-based violence, promoting respect for international humanitarian law, reinforcing the protection of children, and protecting the livelihood of IDPs.