Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

The Austrian contribution to the WFP Burkina Faso Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2019-2023 supports Strategic Outcome 1 (SO1) in the Est and Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Sahel and Nord regions for the years 2021 to 2023: Crisis affected populations, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in targeted areas are able to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during and in the aftermath of a crisis.

Expected results

Under SO1 and with this contribution, WFP will ensure that the immediate life-saving food and nutrition needs of the following target groups are met: Vulnerable IDPs and host-families (activity 1) and vulnerable primary schoolchildren in areas with high IDP population (activity 2).

For this purpose, with the initial Austrian contribution, WFP will be able to procure and transfer a total of 1,009mt of cereals, 229mt of pulses, 24mt of vegetable oil and 128mt of mixed and blended food to acutely food-insecure beneficiaries in Burkina Faso.

With the additional contribution, WFP will be able to transport over 322.5 Mt of food to acutely food-insecure beneficiaries in Burkina Faso located in hard-to-reach areas currently reachable only by air.

Target group / Beneficiaries

Wit Austria’s initial contribution, WFP will assist approximately 28,550 beneficiaries with the Austrian contribution. More precisely, 20,000 IDPs will be targeted under the activity 1 (general food assistance) and 8,550 vulnerable primary schoolchildren (including 1,710 IDP schoolchildren and 6,840 schoolchildren from host communities) will be targeted under the activity 2 (emergency school feeding).

Target area: Est and Centre-Est regions.

With Austria’s additional contribution, WFP will assist approximately 10,456 IDPs and host populations. Target area extended to Centre-Nord, Sahel Nord regions.

Activities

Activity 1: General food assistance to displaced populations. WFP will assist 20,000 IDPs through unconditional food assistance for a period of 3 months. WFP foresees to provide assistance via in-kind food assistance and/or cash-based transfers. This will be necessary to meet the urgent needs of displaced populations and of host-families, whom resources have been depleted following the crisis. The rations are comprised of food (400g of cereals; 125g of beans; 25g of oil; and 5g of salt) per person per day; or cash entitlement of XOF 8,000 (? USD 15) per person per month. Cash-based transfers are provided via direct cash, mobile money and e-vouchers, depending on the operational context. While the intention is to provide a full ration providing 2,100kcal, WFP was forced to reduce rations – up to 50 percent of ration size - to displaced populations due to resourcing shortfalls in 2021. This approach may be revised based on availability of additional funding. For the purpose of this proposal, a full ration is envisaged, nonetheless, should WFP reduce rations, period of assistance or a larger number of beneficiaries may be revised.

Update:

Through the additional funding funding, WFP will support its operational scale up to reach vulnerable beneficiaries in Hard-to-Reach areas. WFP will assist 10,456 IDPs and host populations through unconditional food assistance for a period of 2 month. WFP foresees to provide assistance via in-kind food assistance and/or cash-based transfers. This will be necessary to meet the urgent needs of displaced populations and of host-families, whom resources have been depleted following the crisis. The rations are comprised of food (400g of cereals; 125g of beans; 25g of oil; and 5g of salt) per person per day; or cash entitlement of XOF 8,000 (? USD 15) per person per month.

Activity 2: Emergency-school feeding (ESF) activities targeting displaced and host-community children.

WFP emergency school feeding programme is implemented in the areas with high IDP population. With this contribution, WFP will distribute food to 7,500 school children who will receive a hot lunch (made with rice, beans, and vegetable oil) for a period of 9 months. In addition, breakfast will be provided in the morning and take away rations will be distributed to 1,050 girls attending the two last classes of the primary school as conditional take home rations (THR). These rations for girls are used as an incentive for parents to maintain their daughters in school, at least until the end of the primary cycle, thus reducing the risk of early marriage which is a common practice in the targeted regions.

Context

In Burkina Faso, the expansion and intensification of activities of non-state armed groups (NSAGs), exploiting pre-existing inter-communal tensions, has led to massive displacement of populations and had a severe impact on an already vulnerable population. As of 30 September 2021, over 1.4 million persons are displaced, of which the majority are women and children. The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased from 2.2 million in 2020 to 3.5 million in 2021. Due to insecurity, some 892,000 people have been impacted by the closure or limited operations of health services, and over 305,000 children have been deprived of education due to the closure of over 2,200 schools. COVID-19 adds another layer of vulnerability, with widespread movement restrictions and disruption on local economies and supply chains, making individuals more prone to shocks and de-facto more vulnerable.

As a result of conflict, climate change, COVID-19 and high food prices, over 2.8 million people in Burkina Faso (10 percent of the population) are estimated to be currently food insecure. Pockets of high level of food insecurity, combined with high levels of malnutrition reported in specific locations of Sahel, Centre-Nord, Nord and Est regions. Overall, 9.1 percent of children aged 6-59 months suffer from acute malnutrition (2020 SMART National Nutrition Survey).