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WFP Mozambique Country Brief, December 2018

Countries
Mozambique
Sources
WFP
Publication date

In Numbers

1,363 MT of food assistance distributed

US$ 833,000 in cash-based transfers

US$ 6 million net funding requirements for six months (December 2018 – May 2019) representing 64% of total needs

89,193 people assisted in December 2018

Situation Updates

• Mozambique is facing acute food insecurity in parts of the country caused by poor rainfall performance, drought and pest infestations. This is exacerbated by the current high likelihood of El Niño and its impact on the current planting season and livelihoods. The most affected populations require urgent food assistance to meet immediate needs and to rebuild and strengthen their livelihoods.

• According to the IPC analysis and the food security and nutrition assessment conducted by the Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) in October 2018, an estimated 814,000 people (IPC 3 and above) in 5 provinces and 24 districts, are facing acute food insecurity and will need urgent humanitarian assistance during the lean season (January to April 2019). The most affected provinces are Tete, Gaza, Inhambane, Cabo Delgado and Sofala.

Operational Updates

• From January to April 2019, WFP is planning to meet the food security needs of 223,000 vulnerable people in the provinces of Tete, Gaza and Cabo Delgado through both conditional and unconditional transfer programmes using in-kind food, vouchers or cash, depending on the context and markets, in view of available resources and needs.

• WFP began assisting some 29,000 conflict-affected Mozambicans in the Northern Province of Cabo Delgado. This intervention includes General Food Distribution and provision of non-food items in villages affected by hostilities. At least 57 percent of the conflict-affected persons were reached in September and October 2018 and 25,215 people had been reached by December 2018. WFP is one of the few organizations with access to villages in need, and coordinates closely with local authorities and affected communities.

• A project closure meeting with WFP, EU and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) took place on 5 December to discuss the results of the EU-funded Fortification initiative, through which, a total of 45 factories were supported in food fortification, with the provision of equipment along with 149 metric tons of vitamin/mineral premix used for fortification.
Although food fortification interventions mainly focused on urban and peri-urban areas, some benefits extended to vulnerable rural populations demonstrating the potential of extending food fortification to rural areas.