ReliefWeb

Highlights

• Funding gaps are currently jeopardizing the implementation of all activities. Considering the current level of funding, three regions out of seven will be prioritized for the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) and two provinces out of four will be targeted for Country Programme (CP).

WFP Assistance

The Country Programme focuses on improving primary education, promoting gender equity and helping the most vulnerable groups. The promotion of agricultural value chains supports home-grown school meals and local purchases.

Support to primary education

WFP provided daily school meals to 70,000 children in two districts of the Sahel region, Soum and Séno, and monthly take-home rations to 4,000 girls in the last two years. These rations entice parents to keep their daughters at school in a region where child marriage is common practice. WFP has contributed to the improvement of enrolment, attendance and retention in the region, particularly for girls.

A pilot project to introduce dairy products in school meals succeeded in reaching 5,359 children so far. This project promotes home-grown school meals, income-generating activities for women and development of local dairies. It is being extended, in line with the findings and recommendations of the pilot project evaluation carried out by the Ministry of National Education and Literacy.
Scaling up include two districts of Soum and Seno (Sahel region).

Nutritional support to vulnerable groups

WFP planned to provide food and nutritional support to 12,000 malnourished antiretroviral therapy (ART) clients as well as Supercereal Plus rations to 10,000 children in the Sahel region to prevent stunting.

Promotion of agricultural value chains

WFP promotes the development of agricultural value chains by prioritizing local purchases of food from Purchase for Progress (P4P) whenever possible.

Food Assistance for Assets

WFP supports the creation of small-scale agricultural assets and the strengthening of rural farmers’ livelihoods. Activities are focused on land restoration and water conservation. Community-Based Participatory Planning (CBPP) approach is used to assess vulnerable communities’ needs and develop action plans to enhance resilience over a 3-5 year period with communities themselves and local stakeholders. East, Sahel, Centre-North and North regions have been prioritized: action plans are completed, partnerships have been formed with NGOs and public technical services and activities started at the end of the rainy season, in October 2016 in the East region.

Operational Updates

• The Zero Hunger Review has been launched in Burkina Faso by the national lead convener, Mr. Pierre Claver DAMIBA and its team. This Review will be the basis of the Country Strategic Plan.

• Scaling up of the yogurt project is still in progression, with 5,359 beneficiary schoolchildren in 28 schools. WFP works with two additional dairies in order to expand the project in the Séno district, in addition to Soum district. School meals and take-home rations for girls are pursued in 562 schools.

• Food assistance to Malian refugees and nutrition activities are continuing. Nevertheless, nutrition activities are implemented on a reduced scale due to the lack of funding. Blanket feeding activities are pursued for 2,500 children in the East region. Assistance to malnourished antiretroviral therapy (ART) clients was only carried out in December during the last quarter because of funding shortfalls.

• Food assistance for assets activities have been launched in the East region. They will be progressively expanded and additional households will be enrolled in the East as well as the Centre-North, the North and the Sahel regions.