Attachments
In Numbers
284 mt of food dispatched to schools
US$0.22 million six-month (June – November 2024) net funding requirements
86,148 people assisted in May
Operational Updates
• WFP oriented the farmers in Oudomxay and Phongsaly provinces on the framework of the Homegrown School Feeding programme, funded by the Korean government. To create a sustainable cycle of food production for school meals locally, the farmers will receive grants to grow healthy vegetables and raise livestock to supply to schools.
• With funding from the government of Luxembourg, WFP delivered trainings on nutrition through the Farmer Nutrition School to 21 communities in Houn district, Oudomxay Province. Over a thousand learned about the foundations of good nutrition, the characteristics and causes of malnutrition, as well as nutritional needs across the lifecycle. They also learned how to cultivate household gardens to provide nutritious food for their families.
• WFP conducted a qualitative study to assess factors affecting community contributions to the school meals programme. The findings from this study will help develop strategies for positive social behaviour change aimed at increasing community involvement and ensuring the sustainability of the programme.
• WFP conducted a training in Houaphan Province to demonstrate good cooking practices, incorporating emotional demonstrations (emo-demos) as an effective approach to trigger behaviour change. Representatives from the Lao Women’s Union, WFP’s implementation partner SNV, provincial government offices and WFP field staff from Xiengkhouang and Houaphan provinces attended the training.
• A team comprising representatives from the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and SNV, visited communities in Xiengkhouang and Houaphan provinces to conduct a mid-term assessment on the progress of the Sustainable Rural Infrastructure and Watershed Sector Management project. The team met with Village Nutrition Club members, visited several home gardens and discussed how the project has helped the communities improve their nutrition-related knowledge and practices, as well as the challenges they face in growing household gardens.
• WFP completed distributing cash to 1,953 households across 19 villages in Vapi district, Salavan Province. The cash grants, funded by the French government, aim to cover gaps resulting from the recent food and price inflation, with a particular focus on helping vulnerable families with children under five, girls and pregnant and breastfeeding women. This will help families buy nutritious food, hygiene products, or access health services.
• WFP, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the private sector (Saka no Tochu and Saffron Coffee) trained eight coffee farmer groups across eight communities in Luang Prabang Province on how to prepare soil using organic compost for coffee planting. WFP also promoted the use of biochar, a carbon-friendly material sourced from coffee hull waste, and Job’s tears hulls for soil enrichment.
• WFP hosted a panel discussion on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. Representatives from Proud to Be Us, a local civil society organization, shared insights with WFP staff on the importance of the day and highlighted the acceleration of their work focused on improving the well-being and entitlements of LGBTIQ+ members in Lao PDR