ReliefWeb

Highlights

• WFP started implementing the new 2018-2022 Country Strategic Plan. WFP’s 2018 work plan will prioritise assistance in Gaza as per the greatest needs.

• Whilst the in-kind food entitlements were reduced for 55,000 people, assistance to 65,000 food-insecure people receiving cash-based transfers (CBT) in Gaza was suspended due to insufficient resources.

• WFP’s food assistance is a fundamental safety net for the poorest whose coping mechanisms continue to deteriorate. WFP’s monitoring findings showed that food Consumption scores (FCS) greatly deteriorated when CBT assistance was suspended: the percentage of households with a poor FCS increased from 4 percent in December 2017 to 65 percent in January 2018.

Operational Updates

• In January, WFP assisted 263,570 poor and food insecure beneficiaries: 169,877 in Gaza and 93,693 in the West Bank with food and CBTs. WFP food assistance was critical in meeting the immediate food needs of the most vulnerable, as well as stabilising their dietary diversity. In addition to this, WFP assistance also helps protecting livelihoods and mitigating the devastating and accumulative impact of decades of conflict on their socio-economic status.

• The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) started the distributions of water, sanitation and hygiene products to 15,000 poor families (90,000 beneficiaries) through WFP’s electronic voucher. On top of their WFP food allocations, each family will receive a one-time entitlement of USD 55 over January-March. Hygiene education sessions to participants will be delivered by the local NGO Ard El Insan.
This is the fifth consecutive year that WFP and UNICEF partner together in Gaza. In 2017, UNICEF and WFP provided a joint package of food, water and sanitation assistance to more than 7,600 poor households.

• WFP eased the purchase restrictions on all assisted families using CBT. Beneficiaries were able to use their electronic food vouchers for all types of food excluding unhealthy items such as candies, chocolate and soft drinks. Since October last year, all voucher recipients were given the choice and flexibility to redeem their entitlements in all participating shops instead of being assigned to a dedicated one. These initiatives were implemented to foster competition and increase people’s freedom of choice and purchasing power with a view to further empower them as drivers of change.

• Acknowledging its benefits on households’ nutrition and health awareness, particularly women, WFP resumed its nutrition and health awareness sessions in both Gaza and the West Bank. The classes gathered and were specifically tailored to all household members, including children, men and women, with a view to promote a common understanding of healthy diet.

• Together with its cooperating partner Global Communities, WFP is conducting a beneficiary needs assessment in Gaza to review the eligibility of current food assistance recipients and assess the needs of other vulnerable poor food insecure people. A total of 37,000 households are being surveyed. The re-targeting exercise is expected to be completed in April.