Attachments
In Numbers
USD 68.4 m total requirements
182,135 people assisted in May 2020
Operational Updates
• COVID19: during May, the pandemic's impact advanced quickly, as the country entered into the community transmission phase, with the number of confirmed cases jumping from 25 to 254 in one week.
As of now, the Government has reported 1,464 cases, including 55 deceased people. WFP has been working to ensure the continuation of operations in the context of COVID19, adjusting ongoing activities to the current context. This included introducing protection measures and modifications to safeguard the beneficiaries' health and well-being while responding to their food security needs.
• As schools remained open, WFP supported the implementation of school feeding in some of the most remote and impoverished communities in the Northern Atlantic Caribbean Coast and Jinotega. To do so, WFP assisted the Ministry of Education in implementing biosecurity protocols along the entire supply chain, from the warehouse to the schools, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
This included gradual food delivery, use of personal protection equipment, and hygiene protocols. WFP monitored the food distribution process at the warehouse to ensure the effective implementation of the protocols. This resulted in the safe delivery of the second distribution of the year, bringing daily meals to over 182,000 pre- and primary school children through August. As a key social protection programme, school feeding provides much-needed support, guaranteeing uninterrupted access to nutritious food and alleviating the economic and food burden at home.
• Similarly, WFP is supporting the Government of Nicaragua in the design of a response to the pandemic, as part of its preparedness efforts. An inter-disciplinary group was formed, under the leadership of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response, comprised of national institutions, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP. The aim is to be ready to respond in the event of restrictions in movements, closure of schools, and economic deterioration. The proposal is still being finalized and focuses on assisting the most vulnerable, including populations in the Dry Corridor, through adapted national social protection programmes.