ReliefWeb

Highlight This Month

This month the CTC Programme experienced the highest default rates in over 2 years. The OTP demonstrated a default rate of 24.5% this month, while SFP for <5s was 15.3% and SFP for malnourished PLW was 29%. There were a total of 1,574 defaulters of children <5 and 99 PLW defaulters this month.

Outreach workers do active defaulter tracing within the community to identify reasons for defaulting, and are assigned to follow up on absentees to help mitigate defaulting. Many families have defaulted because good rains have drawn rural displaced families back home. In addition, government policy to move the displaced population out of the city has also had an impact.

Of the 1,574 child defaulters this month, outreach workers were able to confirm that 925 (59%) left the city. The following shows the regions to where these 925 defaulters relocated:

Another major reason for an increase in default rates is the discontinuation of the WFP family ration provided to the families of OTP and SFP beneficiaries. The family ration was provided from late 2011 until December 2012. However, with improved conditions post-famine, the establishment of the new government, and the entrance of many new organizations, WFP made the decision to scale back and eventually discontinue this ration.

One of the greatest challenges for caregivers is opportunity cost. The average household size is at least 6 people per household and mothers have to look after the needs of their other children, in addition to the malnourished child. Without a family ration to help them meet their families’ needs, bringing their malnourished children for treatment and taking time for other preventative health and nutrition services will continue to be a difficult choice.