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Nicaragua

WFP Nicaragua Country Brief, May 2019

Attachments

In Numbers

USD 3.5 m six months net funding requirements

178,000 people assisted in May 2019

Operational Updates

  • Under the School Feeding Programme, WFP and the Ministry of Education (PINE/MINED) reached 178,000 pre- and primary schoolchildren with school meals every day in some of the most remote and poorest communities in the Northern Autonomous Caribbean Coast (RACCN) and Jinotega. The programme provides much needed support, guaranteeing uninterrupted access to nutritious food and at the same time providing incentives for children to stay in school.

  • With the aim of enhancing the food supplies to the School Feeding Programme, WFP initiated rice fortification with the support of local partners. This effort is part of a nutrition-sensitive approach. By mid-June, WFP expects to obtain 1,000 bags of fortified rice, to be delivered to schools in August.
    WFP and PINE/MINED are jointly monitoring the fortification process at the production plant and preparing communication materials about the benefits of fortified rice to help raise awareness among parents of the importance of fortified foods.

  • During May, WFP continued to strengthen capacities of farmers and their organizations. WFP helped coordinate sessions attended by farmer organizations and food suppliers to strengthen the farmer organizations’ leverage in obtaining more competitive prices for their produce.

  • To ensure that Nicaragua is ready to respond to emergencies, WFP trained technical staff of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response (SINAPRED). The training focused on transferring tools for vulnerability assessment and mapping and the methodology used for Seasonal Livelihood Programming (SLP), a consultative process bringing together communities, government actors and partners to design integrated multi-sectorial operational plans, strengthen partnerships and opportunities for coordination