Attachments
Summary of WFP assistance: WFP’s goal in the Kyrgyz Republic is to support the Government to improve food security and nutrition and build resilience of vulnerable populations against the impact of recurrent natural disasters and economic shocks.
Optimisation of the Primary School Meals Programme
In 2013, WFP began a four year school meals optimisation project to strengthen the Government’s capacity to improve the quality and efficiency of the existing national school meals programme, in line with the five international World Bank System Assessment and Benchmarking for Education Results (SABER) quality standards. In December 2014, the Government endorsed a new school meals policy, formulated with the support of WFP and the Russian non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI). The policy sets a strategic direction for development of the national school meals programme until 2025. In September 2015, WFP increased the number of schools from 200 to 261 and children assisted by nearly 20,000 under the pilot project, which enhances capacities to manage school feeding, diversifies school menus, supports the upgrading of related school infrastructure, improves the efficiency of procurement and develops school gardens. These models are already inspiring replication of the pilot experience outside the project. To ensure the sustainability of the school meals project, WFP supplies only fortified wheat flour, while the Government covers the remaining 87 percent of the school meal cost. The project is implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and with technical support from SIFI.
Support for National Productive Safety Nets and Long-Term Community Resilience
WFP’s second development project focuses on rural development; social protection; and disaster risk management and climate adaptation. In these areas, WFP provides support to policy development and systems optimisation. At the field level, WFP builds resilience and improves livelihoods of the most vulnerable through rehabilitation of infrastructure, such as disaster mitigation structures, roads, irrigation and drinking water systems. WFP helps increase incomes through vegetable production and the creation of fruit gardens. WFP applied a Three Pronged Approach (3PA), consisting of the Integrated Context Analysis, Seasonal Livelihood Programming and Community Consultations to identify priority areas and plan resilience and livelihood improvement activities, based on an indepth understanding of challenges and opportunities faced by each community. As part of the project, WFP also supports the Government’s efforts to strengthen evidence based policy decision making. In this area, WFP is providing technical support to the development of the National Food Security Atlas, monthly food price monitoring bulletins and an Interagency Technical Working Group on Price Monitoring for Food Security. WFP also supports the development and implementation of the National Food Security and Nutrition Programme, jointly with FAO and UNICEF. Another key activity has been WFP, GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit), UNFPA and Embassy of Switzerland support to the Ministry of Health to undertake a study, which assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to micronutrient intake in adolescent girls and pregnant and nursing women in four provinces of the country.
These activities contribute to meeting Millennium Development Goals 1, 2, 3, and 7, and are aligned with the Government’s National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) 2013-2017. WFP places a strong emphasis on women’s economic empowerment and ensures that women and men are represented in decision-making bodies and equally benefit from its activities.