Attachments
Highlights
Timor-Leste’s government and WFP bolstered disaster preparedness through workshops and a Simulation Exercise (SIMEX), enhancing coordination, response capacity, and operational efficiency nationwide.
In 2024, Timor-Leste, supported by WFP, improved nutrition and infrastructure in 400 schools, fostering healthier habits through innovative tools and fortified meals.
Operational Updates
Nutrition and Food Security
• In December, WFP and WHO, alongside the Government of Timor-Leste, presented the 2024 results for the Say No to 5S (SN5S) Programme, addressing childhood diseases and malnutrition in 400 schools across Baucau, Bobonaro, and Manufahi municipalities. The initiative has improved school infrastructure and has supported the Government in enabling the introduction of fortified rice into the school meals of 68,800 students, has trained school staff on food procurement and safety, and promoted healthier habits through innovative tools like podcasts and a nutrition song.
• As part of WFP's support for the SN5S, a Formative Research Report on schoolchildren's nutrition was launched, based on implementation in the projec’s three active municipalities. The research highlighted barriers to adopting healthy habits, such as poor school meal kitchen conditions and handwashing practices, and reduced portions of animal protein and vegetables in school meals. These insights will enable WFP to support the Government and improve the school meals programme.
• WFP presented research findings and recommendations on high return-on-investment (ROI) interventions for improving agriculture, food security, and nutrition in Timor-Leste, to over 40 representatives from Government, UN Agencies and Development Partners in the country. The research engaged more than 100 stakeholders such as farmers, government officials, retailers, and processors, resulting in a recommended package of nine interventions across the agri-food-nutrition value chain, which when interlinked, will increase the ROI considerably.
These activities are part of a long-term holistic “changing lives” agenda that WFP is implementing with the Government to address poverty, food security and nutrition. This “production-to-consumption” local development model intends to strengthen local value chains by bringing farmers and cooperatives closer to its most direct clients (i.e. school management committee procurement). It also aims to consequently boost the economic “trickle-down effect” of the Government’s investments in school meals, and other priority value chains such as fortified rice, vegetables or sorghum, as diversified opportunities for local economic return.