CERF allocates over US$ 1 million for rapid response to malnutrition with food assistance in lowland region of Nepal
Nepal has one of the worst nutrition indicators in the world. Close to 40% of children under five years of age are underweight and almost one in two children are stunted. These rates are further impacted upon by conflict and the occurrence of natural disasters, which tend to cause new displacements among an already vulnerable population.
 |
|
Children in midwestern Jumla district, one of the most food-insecure areas of Nepal today.
[Photo: IRIN]
|
In the lowlands region of Nepal (Terai), the breadbasket of the country, some communities are experiencing acute malnutrition rates higher than 15%, warranting an emergency intervention according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. There is an overall lack of basic services and conflict-recovery assistance in this region, and many people continue to suffer from the devastating floods and landslides of the 2007 monsoon season.
Through the allocation of US$ 1 million, the CERF is supporting two components of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) comprehensive operation of food assistance to 39,700 conflict-affected people in Nepal (out of 1.3 million beneficiaries for the whole project). In particular, this programme supports communities struggling from recurring disasters and those accepting returnee populations are receiving 851 metric tonnes of rice. The WFP programme focuses on the vulnerable groups, including women, children, ethnic minorities and indigenous populations. WFP also assists communities, through food-for-work programmes, to rebuild or construct critical infrastructure, thus contributing to the restoration of livelihoods in conflict-affected rural areas.
[Last Update: 26 December 2007]
«CERF Around the World