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WFP Lao PDR Country Brief, October 2022

Countries
Lao PDR
Sources
WFP
Publication date
Origin
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In Numbers

377.214 mt of food distributed

US$0.96 million six-month (November 2022 – April 2023) net funding requirements

156,862 people assisted In October 2022

Operational Updates

• WFP and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare oversaw the successful completion of 12 community rice banks in Phongsaly Province through the Food Assistance for Assets programme, where community members participate in building the rice banks in exchange for cash. Community rice banks operate as an important social safety net for vulnerable households allowing access to food during the lean season. WFP provided 54.9 mt of rice to start the rice banks.

• WFP continued supporting district education officials to monitor the school feeding programmes handed over to the Government of Lao PDR for incorporation into the National School Meals Programme (NSMP). WFP aims to strengthen the NSMP by optimizing the government counterparts’ monitoring skills and procedures and by integrating school feeding monitoring into the regular operations of district education authorities.

• As part of a project aiming to improve the prevention, treatment and management of acute malnutrition in Phongsaly Province, WFP and UNICEF brought together 85 representatives from provincial and district health-, agriculture-, and Lao Women’s Union offices. The meeting entailed introducing project activities, promoting their involvement, and setting out clear roles and responsibilities for project implementation. WFP and UNICEF also jointly conducted a 3-day training for 40 representatives from the provincial, district and village health providers. The training focused on the basic concept of nutrition, causes of malnutrition, assessment of acute malnutrition, the importance of screening children and referral services, and steps in the admission process.

• On 21 October, WFP co-chaired the annual meeting of the School Meals Technical Working Group of the Government of Lao PDR with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and Catholic Relief Services. The participants reviewed the progress made in school feeding practices throughout Lao PDR and the challenges, particularly the impact of increasing food prices this year. The key steps forward include providing technical assistance to the MoES to review school feeding legislation, nationwide dissemination of the latest Prime Minister Decree on promoting school lunches and rolling out nutrition and health campaigns to target schools.