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Bangladesh2010 Annual Report

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Table of ContentsMessage from the WFP Representative

WFP’s vision and strategy

Overview

2010 in brief

WFP tools

Empowering women and girls

Food security and vulnerability analysis and mapping

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Partnering with the Government on safety net reform 15

Overview of WFP’s operational activities in Bangladesh 16

Country Programme 18

ProtractedReliefandRecoveryOperation 26

EmergencyOperation 28

Partners 30

Donor contributions 32

Staffing 33

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ThisisanexcitingtimetoworkinBangladesh.Thecountryisachievingsignificantgains,botheconomicallyandsocially.Productionandtradeareexpandingandmorejobsarebeingcreatedforbothmenandwomen.Withgoodmanage-mentandongoinggrowth,thecountrywillcontinuesteadilytowardsitsvisionofachievingmiddleincomestatusby2021.

Sadly,behindthisimpressiveeconomicgrowthliesanenormousundernutritionburdenthatwilllimittheabilityofthenextgenerationtofulfilthisambition.Withoneintwochildrenunderfivesufferingfromchronicundernutrition,thisisnotjustlimitingeachoftheirpotential,butthecountry’sasawhole.

Ithasbeenwidelyproventhatundernourishedchildrenperformpoorlyacademically,profession-allyandphysicallyincomparisontotheirwell-nourishedpeers.Byinvestinginthisgeneration,wecanensurethatallchildrenhavetheopportu-nitytomeettheirpotentialandthecountrycanachieveitsdevelopmentgoals.

Educationwillbeequallycrucialtoensuringthatthenextgenerationhasamorepromisingfu-ture.Thepoorestchildrenstillcontinuetomissoutontherighttogetapropereducationastheyareforcedtoworktohelpprovidefortheirfamilies.TheGovernmentistakingastrongleadinimprovingeducationopportunitiesandwearegreatlyencouragedbytheintroductionoftheGovernment’sSchoolFeedingProgrammeinPovertyProneAreasin2011.

Urbanisationanditsassociatedimpactontheul-trapooralsopresentsadditionalchallengesandaneedtobeginrefocusingprogrammes.WFPhasbeguntoexpanditsschoolfeedingprogrammeintourbanareasandissoontocommencematernalandchildnutritionactivities.Wehavestrengthened our food security analysis in this

Message from the WFP Representative

sectorwiththepublicationoftheUrbanFoodSecurityAtlas.Thiswillprovidethefoundationfortargetingourexpansionintheseareas.

ItisthroughclosepartnershipswiththeGovern-ment,communitiesandotherstakeholdersthatwecanleverageourstrengthsandachievesig-nificantreductionsinhungerandundernutrition.TheGovernment’sSixthFiveYearPlanoutlinesanambitiousdevelopmentagenda.WFP,workingincollaborationwithUNpartnersundertheUNDevelopmentAssistanceFramework,willassisttheGovernmenttoprovidethechildrenoftodaywiththeopportunitytomeetthechallengesoftomorrow.

Christa RäderRepresentativeBangladeshWorldFoodProgramme

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WFP’s vision and strategy

TheGovernmentofBangladeshandWFPareintegralpartnersinthefightagainsthungerandundernutrition.Ourgoalisoneinwhicheveryman,womanandchildhasaccessatalltimestothefoodneededforanactiveandhealthylife.TheGovernmentisleadingthewayandhassettheyear2021asthetargettoachievethisaim.

In2010,WFPdevelopeditsCountryStrategywhichrepresentsashiftinapproachtoaddressthechallengesoffoodinsecurityandundernutritioninBangladesh.ItplacesagreateremphasisonstrengtheningtheGovernment’ssocialsafetynetsastheyarescaledupandreformed;specificallythosethataimtoensurefoodandnutritionsecurity.

WFPwillalsofocusresourcesandexpertiseindevelopinginnova-tivenutritionandhungersolutions,specificallyinareaswhereWFPhasexperience,strengthandpotentialtoinnovate.Activitieswillbemoregeographicallyfocusedandwillconvergeinareasofgreatestfoodinsecurityandvulnerability,includingincreasinglytourbanslumareas.WFPwillcontinuetotargetthepoorestandmostfoodinsecurewomen,childrenandmenwithprioritybeinggiventobreakingtheintergenerationalcycleofundernutritionandstrengtheningresiliencetoshocks.

“Through an effective partnership, WFP and the Government of Bangladesh will achieve significant gains in reducing

hunger and undernutrition in the next five to ten years”

The objectives guiding WFP’s operations are to:

• Reduceundernutritionamongwomenandchildrenunderfive;

• Increase access to pre-primaryandprimaryeducationforchildren;

• Enhance the resilience ofcommunitiesandhouseholdsvulnerabletonaturaldisastersandtheeffectsofclimatechange; and

• Enhance nationally-ownedsafetynetprogrammesad-dressinghungerandhouseholdfoodandnutritioninsecurity.

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OverviewBangladeshhashighlevelsofpov-ertyandundernutritionthatareexacerbatedbyfrequentnaturaldisastersandahighpopulationdensity.Anestimated60millionpeople consume less than the minimum daily recommended amount of food1.Achievinggen-derequalityremainsachallenge,assignificantdisparitiespersistinhealth,educationandincome.

However,thingsarechangingforthebetter.Overthepastdecade,BangladeshhasachievedrapideconomicgrowthandsubstantialprogresstowardssomeoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,particularlyforgenderequityinschoolsandpovertyreduction.Butlevelsoffoodinsecurity,undernutritionandmicronutrientdeficienciescontinuetoremainhigh.

Inparticular,theprevalenceofchronic and acute undernutri-tionamongchildrenandwomenisalarming.Growthretardation,

an outcome of chronic undernu-trition,iswidespread,affectingalmostoneintwoofthecoun-try’s17millionchildrenbelowfiveyearsofage2.Thenumberofchildrenwhoareunderweight,whichisareflectionofacuteandchronicundernutrition,is37per-cent,orabout6millionchildrenunderfive2.

Inaddition,thehighprevalenceofearlymarriage,adolescentpregnancies and undernourished mothers leads to a cycle of under-nutritionwheremorethanoneinthreenewbornshavealowbirthweight3.Thisisstronglyrelatedto high infant mortality and poor cognitivedevelopmentthataf-fectseducationoutcomeslaterinlife.

This cycle is further perpetuated bythehighdropoutratefrompri-maryeducation,particularlyforchildren from ultra poor house-holds.AlthoughBangladeshhasmade encouraging progress in

• Two in five people go to bed hungry every night

• One in two children are chronically undernourished

• Almost one in two children do not complete primary school

• On average, a major natural disaster hits every two to three years

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OneofthegreatestchallengesfacingBangladeshistheintergenerationalcycleofundernutrition.Thebelowdiagramillustrateshowsmallmothers–stuntedbychronicundernutrition–givebirthtolowbirthweightbabies.Thesechildrenthenhaveapoorstartinlifeandaremorelikelytohavegrowthfailurewhich,whencombinedwithinadequatefoodintakeandcaringpractices,leadstostuntingandbeingunderweightasachildandteenager.Thehighrateofadolescentpregnanciesfurtherexacer-batesthesituationastheyaremorelikelytohavealowweightnewborn.

Breakingthecyclerequiresamulti-dimensionalapproachfocusingonimprovingthenutritionalstatusofwomen,adolescentgirlsandchildren,delayingmarriageandfirstpregnancy,andimprovingeduca-tionandlivelihoodopportunitiesforwomen.

The intergenerational cycle of undernutrition

Child growth failure

Early pregnancy

Small undernourished adult woman

Low birth weight infant

increasing enrolment and achiev-ing gender parity in primary edu-cation,majorproblemspersist.Anestimated3.3millionchildrendo not go to primary school and just55percentwillendupcom-pletingprimaryeducation4.

Rapidurbanisationisplacinggreater pressure on the need for safety nets and food security activitiesfortheultrapoor.Thenutritionsituationinurbanslumsisalarming.Thepopulationlivinginslumsofmajorurbancentreshavebeenfoundtohavehighprevalence of anaemia and are inpoorhealthconditions.WFP

estimatesthatabout30percentofslumpopulationsareseverelyfood insecure and rates of acute undernutritionareabout17percent,wellaboveemergencythresholds5.

Addingtothechallenge,Bangla-desh is one of the most disaster-pronecountriesintheworld.Thehighfrequencyofnaturaldisas-ters,suchascyclonesandfloods,leanseasoncrisesanddroughts,underminespovertyreductionandfoodsecurityefforts.Naturaldisasters are expected to in-crease in severity over the coming decadesduetotheaccelerating

effectsofclimatechange.Theseevents regularly force millions of familiestoreducethenumberandqualityofmeals,sellproduc-tiveassets,suchaslivestock,andpullchildrenoutofschool.Thisleadstoincreasedvulnerabilityofthesehouseholdsandworsenstheir prospects of escaping the povertycycle.

(Sources: 1-Household Income and Expendi-tureSurvey,2005;2-HouseholdFoodSecurityandNutritionAssessment,2009;3-NationalLowBirthWeightSurveyofBangladesh,2005;4-UNICEF,2009;5-UrbanHealthSur-vey,2009)

Low weight and height as a teenager

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Country Programme

Emergency Operation

Refugee Operation

24,100

1,362,000

2,948,100

2010 in brief

Provided micronutri-entfortifiedbiscuitstoatotalof1.2millionpre-primary and primary school children in almost 10,000schools.

SCHOOL FEEDING

GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP OF SAFETY NETS

SuccessfullytransitionedtheVulnerableGroupDevelopment pro-gramme–whichpro-vides food and livelihood assistanceto750,000ultrapoorwomen–tofull government man-agement.

PARTNERSHIPS

6Number of Government ministries WFP works with.

Developednewpartner-shipswhichwilllayastrongfoundationfortheyearstocome.TheRenewedEffortsAgainstChild Hunger and Under-nutrition(REACH)Initia-tiveandtheprivatesec-torconsortiumofProjectLaserBeamwillprovidesignificanttechnicalandfinancialsupport.

104,250Amount in metric tonnes (mt) of food distributed.

US$82mAmount spent by WFP in Bangladesh.

ENHANCING RESILIENCE TODISASTERS AND THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Strengthenedtheresilienceof322,700ultrapoorbeneficiariesandtheircommuni-tiesindisasterproneareas.Thisinvolvedtheconstructionofover1,000kmofroads,canalsandembankments,theprovisionoftrainingtoenhancetheabilityofhouseholdstodealwithfuturedisasters,andrecoveryassistancetohelpfamiliesafterdisastersandothershocks.

US$23mAmount of cash distrib-uted. Of which, the Gov-ernment of Bangladesh contributed US$3.5m.

3,493,500Number of beneficiaries assisted.

*Beneficiarynumbersdonotaddupduetooverlap.

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HIGH FOOD PRICE RESPONSE

Continuedvitalemployment,livelihood,nutritionandschoolfeedingassistanceto1.4millionbeneficiariestodealwiththeaftereffectsofthehighfoodpricecrisisof2007to2008inwhichanadditional7.5millionpeoplefellbelowthepovertyline.Thisledtolonger-terminfrastructurebe-ing created to strengthen future agriculturalproduction.

FOOD SECURITY FOR THE ULTRA POOR

Launchedinnovativecashgrantand livelihood programme to 30,000ultrapoorwomenandtheirfamilieswhichledtodou-blingincomesandstrengtheningfoodandnutritionsecurity.

TARGETING AND MONITORING FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY

REFUGEE ASSISTANCE

IMPROVING MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION

CYCLONE AILA RESPONSE

RODENT CRISIS RECOVERY PROGRAMME

Supported43,100severelyfood insecure people af-fectedbyarodentplagueintheChittagongHillTracts.Thisledto86per-cent of households report-ing an increase in income and96percentwithanacceptablefoodconsump-tionscore.

Providedrecoveryassistanceto62,800victimsofCycloneAila(2009)throughfoodandnutritionassistancewhichledtosignificantdeclinesinacuteundernutritioninchildrenunderfiveandpregnantandlactatingwomen.

Supported24,100Rohingyarefugeesthroughdiversifiedfoodandnutritionassis-tanceinCox’sBazar.

Played a lead role in monitoring theimpactoffoodpricevolatil-ity on the ultra poor and in the productionofpovertymapstoimprovetargeting.ThepublishingoftheUrbanFoodSecurityAtlasmarkednewterritoryforWFPin its goal to have a greater role inurbanmappingandprogram-ming.

Contributedtobreakingtheintergenerationalcycleofunder-nutritionthroughsupplementaryfeedingfor68,600under-nourishedchildrenunderfive,pregnantandlactatingwomenandadolescentgirlsaswellasthedeliveryofacomplemen-tarynutritioneducationpackageacrossallprogrammes.Thisledto81percentofundernourishedparticipantsrecoveringandreducedlowbirthweightincidence.

26Number of local and international non-gov-ernment organisation partners.

ForImprovingMaternalandChildNutrition(IMCN),thisincludes20,300participantsfromthehighfoodpriceresponse;45,618fromtheCountryProgramme(comprising42,809fromtheIMCNactivityand2,809fromtheCycloneAilaresponse);and2,723fromtherefugeeassistance(includingtargetedandblanketsupplementaryfeeding).Forschoolfeeding,thisincludes568,224schoolstudentsfromthehighfoodpriceresponse;6,607fromtherefugeeassistance;andtheremainderfromtheCountryProgramme.ForEnhancingResilience(ER),thisincludes62,835fromtheresponsetoCycloneAila;43,150fromtheRodentCrisisRecovery;andtheremainderfromtheERactivity.

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CashCashisanexpandingmodalityusedbyWFPtoenhancepeople’saccesstofoodandtostrengthenlocalmarketswhentheyarefunctioning.WFPprovidescashtobeneficiariesaseitherpartofawage,monthlyallowanceorcashgrantforthepurchaseofalivelihoodasset.

How much? Forcashwages,participantsarepaid150takaperday(US$2)orequivalent.Forcashgrants,participantsusuallyreceiveamonthlyallowanceof500taka(US$7)andaoneoffpaymentof14,000taka(US$190).

WFP tools

Diversified food basketWFPprovidesadiversifiedfoodbaskettomeetthemacroandmicronutrientneedsofbeneficiaries.Forfoodandcashforas-setactivities,WFPprovidesriceorwheatandsoonpulsesandvegetableoil.Inemergencies,WFPalsosupplementsthefoodbasketwithfortifiedblendedfoods.

How much? Participantsnormallyreceiveafamilyrationequiva-lentto2,073kilocaloriesperpersonperday.

Fortified blended foods WFPusesmicronutrientfortifiedblendedfoodsforsupplemen-taryfeeding.Thesearedesignedtoprovideproteinsupplementstopreventandaddressnutritionaldeficiencies.From2012,WFPwillpilotblanketfeedingofSuperCereal(WSB++),whichcon-tainsanimalproteinfrommilkpowder,tochildrenundertwo.

How much? Participantsreceiveabout980kilocaloriesperday.

High energy biscuits WFPdistributesmicronutrient-fortifiedhighenergybiscuitsaspartoftheschoolfeedingprogrammeandintheinitialphaseofemergencies.Thebiscuitsprovidetwothirdsofthedailyvitaminandmineralrequirementsofchildrenaswellasasupplementarycaloricintake.

How much? Childrenreceivea75gpacketofbiscuitsthatpro-vides338kilocaloriesonallschooldays.

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Genderequalityandtheempowermentofwomenarecentraltothereductionofpovertyandhunger,the achievement of the Millennium Development GoalsandtheaccomplishmentofWFP’sobjectivesinBangladesh.WomeninBangladeshareextremelyvulnerabletopovertyandfoodinsecurity:theyearnlessthanmen,aremorelikelytobeundernour-ished,andfaceadditionalsocialandculturalbarri-erstoachievingtheirfullpotential.

WFP’s approach

WomenareessentialactorsintheimplementationofWFP’sstrategytoreducehungerandundernutri-tioninBangladesh.

1) Prioritising women

WFPassistspregnantandlactatingwomenandadolescentgirlsthroughnutritioninterventions,prioritiseswomeninallfoodandcashforcommu-nityassetcreation,andtargetswomeninindividualassetcreationactivities.

2) Enhancing participation and decision-making

WFPfocusesstronglyonwomen’sparticipa-tion,leadershipanddecision-makingatalllevels.Womenareinvolvedinimprovingchildren’seduca-tionthroughschoolmanagementcommitteesandparticipateequallywithmeninfoodmanagementcommittees.

3) Improving knowledge and skills

WFPsupportswomen’saccesstotrainingactivitiestodevelopknowledge,skillsandself-confidenceandhelpenhancetheirstatusinthehousehold,familyandcommunity.

4) Involving men and boys

Engagingwithmenandboysiscrucialtochang-inggenderdynamics.In2010,WFPbeganengag-ingmenandboysmoreeffectivelyinbehaviouralchangeactivitiesinordertoreducegenderdiscrimi-nation.

Empowering women and girlsIn 2010, WFP assisted 1.8 million women and adolescent girls in the most food insecure and disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh.

WFPundertookaGenderAssessmentin2010whichfoundthatWFPactivitieshavecontributedtosignificantachievementsingenderequalityandwomen’sempowerment.Althoughthesefindingsincludedthatunequalgenderrelationswithinhouseholdsandfamiliesarestillwidelypresent,womenhavegainedstrongerinfluenceonfoodandcashallocationsanduse,astheysubstitutemalemembersinthetraditionalroleofbreadwin-ner.Mobility,whichisamajorindicatorofwomen’sempowerment,hasincreasedanddecision-mak-ing,eitheraloneorjointlyinhouseholddecisions,hasimprovedaswomenbecomeincomeearners.

Followingtheassessment,WFPisimprovingandsustaininggendermainstreaminginallactivities,especiallythroughtheprovisionofadditionalfacilitiesforwomenatprojectsites,suchasbreast-feedingandchildcareareas;byincreasingaccesstotrainingandemploymentopportunitiesforwomen;andbypromotingtheinvolvementofmenandboysingenderequality.Thereisalsoastrong-erfocusonmonitoringthepositiveandpossiblenegativeimpactsofprogrammesongenderroles.

WFP Gender Assessment

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Food security and vulnerability analysis and mappingInBangladeshthereisconsider-ablevariationintheleveloffoodinsecurityacrossthecountry.Extremepoverty,incidenceofnaturaldisasters,culturalpractic-esandaccesstohealthfacilitiesallplayaroleinexplainingwhycertainareasaremorevulnerablethanothers.Identifyingtheseareas and understanding the food economiesofvulnerablehouse-holdsarekeyresponsibilitiesofWFP’sVulnerabilityAnalysisandMapping(VAM)unit.

VAMmakesuseofavarietyofin-formationsourcesandanalyticalmethods — from the use of satel-liteimages,statisticsoneduca-tion,healthandnutritionalstatus,to the monitoring of changes in marketpricesandhouseholdcopingbehaviour,tosimpleface-to-facediscussionswithmen,womenandchildrenfromfoodinsecureandvulnerablecommu-nities.

VAMinformationproductssup-portkeyWFPprogrammingdeci-sionsandincludepovertymaps,foodsecuritymonitoringbulletinsandassessments,andanalytical

reportswithresearchinstitutes.VAM products also support the complementaryneedsoftheGov-ernment,UNagencies,donors,non-governmentorganisations,andthebroaderinternationalcommunity.TheVAMunitalsoparticipatesinpolicydialogueonfoodsecurity,povertyandsocialsafetynets.

Functions

Problem assessment Understandingwhyandwhenconditionsoffoodinsecurityandvulnerabilityexist.

Beneficiary assessmentIdentifyingwhoaremostlikelytofaceconditionsoffoodinse-curityandvulnerability.

Geographic targetingIdentifyingareaswithhighcon-centrationsofhungry,poorandvulnerablepopulations.

Advocacy for the poorProvidingtimelyandevidence-basedinformationtodecision-makerstobetteraddresstheneedsoftheultrapoor.

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Partnering with the Government in their reform of safety netsSituation

Therearesignificantgapsinthenumberoffoodinsecurepeoplebeingcoveredbysafetynetpro-grammesinBangladesh.Againstthe60millionpeoplewhoarefoodinsecure,WFPestimatesnearly half of them remain uncov-eredbyGovernment,donor,NGOorUNsafetynetprogrammes.

In2010,theGovernmentimple-mented30majorsafetynetpro-grammesspending2.5percentofBangladesh’sgrossdomesticproduct–oraboutUS$2.6bil-lion1.TheGovernment’seffortsarehavingabeneficialimpactfortheultrapoor,buttheeffective-nessofprogrammesneedstobestrengthened through improved targeting,greatercoverageandmoreefficientadministration.

Response

In2010,WFPbegantoplaceagreater emphasis on strengthen-ingthecapacityoftheGovern-menttoimprovetheeffective-nessandefficiencyoftheirsafetynet programmes through policy dialogue,trainingworkshopsandadvocacy.Thisisandwillcon-tinuetobeakeyfocusofWFP’sactivities.WFPwillbedirectly

involvedinassistingtheGovern-ment to strengthen its Vulner-ableGroupDevelopment(VGD)programme and in the launching oftheGovernment’sSchoolFeed-ingprogrammein2011.WFPisalsoinvolvedinpilotinginnova-tivesafetynetapproaches,suchastheFoodSecurityfortheUltraPoorproject.ThesepilotprojectswillprovidevaluablelessonsthatWFPandtheGovernmentwillbeabletodrawuponasfutureprogrammesaredesigned.

WFP’s role with the VGD programme

WFPhasbeenimplementingtheVulnerableGroupFeedingandlatertheVGDprogrammejointlywiththeGovernmentsincethe1970s.Overthepast10years,WFP’srolehasgraduallytran-sitionedfromtheroleofpro-gramme implementer to systems strengthener.Attheendof2010,theGovernmenttookoverfullrunningoftheVGDprogramme.WFPcontinuestoworkwiththeGovernmenttostrengthentarget-ing,programmedesign,monitor-ingandevaluation,andadminis-tration.(Source:1-MinistryofFinanceBudget,2010)

The Vulnerable Group Development programme

TheVGDprogrammeisoneoftheworld’slargestfood-basedsafety net programmes tar-getedatpoorandvulnerablewomen.Theultimategoaloftheprogrammeistobringsus-tainableimprovementtothelivesofultrapoorhouseholds.

Currentlyabout750,000wom-en(about3.8millionbenefi-ciaries)fromultrapoorhouse-holds receive a monthly food rationcombinedwithapackageofdevelopmentservices.Thisincludes life and income gen-eratingskillstrainingaswellasa personal savings programme andaccesstomicro-credit.

The Government’s School Feeding programme

In2011,theGovernmentofBangladeshplanstolaunchits school feeding programme toreach1.2millionprimaryschoolchildren.Thiswillin-volvethedistributionofmicro-nutrientfortifiedhighenergybiscuits,basedontheWFPdesignandwithWFPsupport.

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Overview of WFP’s operational activities in Bangladesh

Country programme activities

WFP’sdevelopmentactivitiesinBangladeshaimtoimprovethelong-termfoodandnutritionsecurity of ultra poor households in the poorest and most food insecureruralareasandurbanslums.Itachievesthisthroughsupplementaryfeeding,nutritioneducation,foodandcashforas-setsandtraining,schoolfeeding,andpilotinginnovativehungersolutions.

WFPassiststhefoodinsecureinBangladeshthroughthefollowingmechanisms:

Emergency operations

WFPisfrequentlyinvolvedinlarge-scale emergency responses to natural disasters and man-madecrises.Inthepast,WFPhasresponded to large-scale relief effortsfollowingcyclones,floodsand other disasters that have struckBangladesh.In2010,WFPimplementedoneoftheworld’slargest responses to the high food pricecrisis.

Protracted relief and recovery operations

WFPisprovidingassistancetoRohingya refugees from Myanmar whoarelivinginKutupalongandNayaparacampsinCox’sBazardistrict.Activitiesincludegeneralfooddistribution,supplementaryfeedingandschoolfeeding.

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Country Programme activities

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School feeding in poverty prone areasWFPdistributesmicronutrientfortifiedhighenergybiscuitstoruralandurbanpre-primaryandprimaryschools in areas of high poverty to provide an ad-ditionalincentiveforparentstokeepchildreninschool.Thesnackisdistributedtochildrenonallschooldaysduringtheyear.Thisiscomplementedwithalearningpackagetochildren,parentsandothercommunitymembersonhealth,nutritionandhygiene.Childrenarealsode-wormedandWFPpromoteswomen’sleadershipintheSchoolMan-agementCommittees.

WFPworkscloselywiththeMinistryofPrimaryandMassEducationtoestablishtheguidelinesandtech-nicalcapacitytolaunchtheGovernment’snationalSchoolFeedingProgrammein2011.Thestrongsup-portthatWFPcontinuestoreceivefromtheGov-ernmentofBangladesh,theUnitedStatesDepart-mentofAgricultureandAustraliahaveenabledthisprogrammetobesuchasuccess.

Accordingtoanoutcomeevaluationunder-takenbetween2007and2009,schoolsthatbenefitedfromschoolfeedinghavedemon-strated:

• Increasedschoolattendanceforboysandgirlsfrom76percentto84percent.

• Increasedabsoluteenrolmentforboysandgirlsby16percentinprimaryschools.

• Reduceddropoutrateforboysandgirlsfrom23percentto17percent.

• Prevalenceofirondeficiencyanaemia,whichaffectschildren’sabilitytolearnandfightdisease,of10percentcomparedtonon-assistedschoolsof22percent.

Key achievements in 2010• Providedschoolfeedingto1,170,719pre-

primary and primary school children (51 percentgirls)in9,965schools.

• Eachchildreceivedanaverageof182feed-ingdaysduringtheyear,amountingto8,191mtofhighenergybiscuits.

• Established375schoolgardenstodemon-strategoodhomesteadgardeningpracticesandtodeliverfoodandnutritionsecuritymessages.

• IncreasedfemalerepresentationinSchoolManagementCommitteesfrom18percentin2009to37percentin2010.

Benefits of school feeding

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TheaimofWFP’snutritionstrategyinBangladeshistosupporttheGovernmentinbreakingtheinter-generationalcycleofundernutritionbygivingprior-itytoachild’sfirst1000days,fromconceptiontotwoyearsofage.In2010,WFPfocuseditseffortsonproviding supplementary feeding to undernourished pregnantandlactatingwomen,childrenundertwoandadolescentgirls.WFPcomplementedthiswithanutritioneducationpackagefocusingonmaternalandchildnutrition,hygieneandsanitation,foodpreparationanddelayingmarriageandpregnancyuntilafteradolescence.

TheRenewedEffortsAgainstChildHungerandUn-dernutrition(REACH)andScalingUpNutrition(SUN)initiativesprovideimportantcoordinationmecha-nismstoimplementandscaleupnutritioninterven-tions.ThroughProjectLaserBeam(PLB),WFPwillbeabletoaccessfundingandtechnicalexpertiseoftheprivatesector.Theseinitiativeswerescaledupin2010andprovidemechanismsforstrengtheningWFP’snutritionapproachintothefuture.

Improving maternal and child nutrition

Key achievements in 2010• Providedsupplementaryfeedingto42,809

participantsmadeupof11,811pregnantandlactatingwomen,23,437childrenundertwo,and7,561adolescentgirls.

• Providednutritioneducationto40,000preg-nantandlactatingwomen,mothersofyoungchildrenandadolescentgirls.

• Achieved an 81 percent recovery rate from moderateandsevereunderweight(weightforage).

• Achievedanincidenceoflowbirthweightof28percentcomparedtothenationalesti-mateof36percent(althoughthebaselineincidenceoflowbirthweightinprogrammeareaswaslikelyhigherthanthisestimate).

• Distributed1,512mtoffortifiedblendedfood.

Steps of the Community Nutrition programme*

Participantsarescreenedforacuteundernutritionbymeasuringmiddle-upperarmcircumference(MUAC)

Mothersandadolescentgirlsparticipateinnutritiontraining

Participantsareregularlymonitoredthroughouttheprocessandlinkedwithother services as needed

Undernourished pregnant and lactat-ingwomenandchildrenunderfiveareprovidedwithfortifiedblendedfoodsforup to four months

*ThisdiagramshowsthecommunitynutritionprogrammeoperatedbyWFPinBangladeshsince2011.In2010,participantswerescreenedusingweightforageratherthanmiddle-upperarmcircumference,adolescentgirlswereincluded,andsupplementaryfeedingwasprovidedforuptosixmonths.

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Trials on supplementary feed-ing of undernourished pregnant womenandyoungchildrenhaveshownarangeofpositiveoutcomes,includingmaternalweightgain,improvedbirthweightsandpositivegrowthresponsesinchildren.Thisre-sults in decreased maternal and infantmortality.

In2010,theBostonConsultingGroupundertookacostben-efitanalysisofWFP’sMaternalandChildNutritionprogrammeinBangladeshandfoundthatevery $1 spent achieved a re-turn on investment of $8 over

thecourseofachild’slife.Thisshowsthatinvestinginachild’snutritionachievesbothlong-

termeconomicbenefitsandshort-termhumanitarianobjec-tives.

The evidence for maternal and child supplementary feeding

Cost-Benefit Analysis for WFP's nutrition programme (Averagevaluein2010US$perbeneficiary)

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Protecting and promoting food security and nutrition for families and childrenWFP,UNICEFandFAOareteaminguptoenhancethefoodandnutritionsecurityofvulnerablechildren,womenandtheirfamilies.

TheSpanish-fundedMillenniumDevelopmentGoal(MDG)Fundisfinancingaprogrammethatisfocus-ingonacceleratingprogresstowardsMDG1and4:halvinghungerandundernutrition,andreducingchildmortalitybytwothirds.

Eachagencybringsacomparativestrengththat,incombinationwiththeGovernmentofBangladeshandnon-governmentorganisations,willaddresstheavailabilityofnutritiousfood,household’sandchildren’saccesstofood,theproperutilisationoffood,andstrategiestoachieveimprovementsintheirnutritionstatus.

The programme is implemented in six unions of BarisaldivisioninthesoutherncoastalbeltofBang-ladesh.Thisregionhasalarmingratesofundernu-tritionandisfrequentlystruckbynaturaldisasters,particularlycyclonesandsaltwaterintrusionexacer-batedbyclimatechange.

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Enhancing resilience to disasters and the effects of climate changeWFP’sEnhancingResilienceprogrammeengagescommunitiestobuildcommunityassets,suchasroads,embankmentsandcanals,thatincreasere-silience to disasters and strengthens agricultural production.TheprogrammereceivesstrongsupportfromtheLocalGovernmentEngineeringDepartmentwhichprovidestechnicalassistanceforinfrastructureconstructionandthecashportionofwages;Japanprovidesvaluablesupportforthefoodportion.

In2010,WFPintroducedalocallevelplanningpro-cesstoinvolvecommunitiesinthedecision-makingofassetplanningandcreation.WFPalsoexpandedoperationsintothesoutherncoastalbeltwhichisoneofthemostvulnerableregionsinthecountrytotheeffectsofclimatechange.

Aspartofthisactivity,WFPalsorespondstosmallandmedium-scalenaturaldisasters.In2010,thisincluded leading the food security component of the jointUnitedNationsresponsetoCycloneAilaandtheRodentCrisisResponseProgrammeintheChittagongHillTracts.

Key achievements in 2010• Providedassistanceto322,670ultrapoor

beneficiariesindisasterproneareas.

• Assisted87communitiesthroughimprovedinfrastructuretomitigatetheimpactofdisastersandclimatechange.

• Constructedover1,000kmofroads,raised1,935homesteadsandassistedindiggingfishpondstoimprovefoodsecurity,marketaccessanddisasterresilience.

• Increased the percentage of households withanadequatefoodconsumptionscore,whichmeasuresdietaryintakeanddiversity,from20percentto81percent.

• Distributedmorethan19,762mtofriceandwheatwhichwascomplementedbyUS$3.5millionincashwagesfromtheGov-ernment.

Steps of the Enhancing Resilience programme

Locallevelplanningisiniti-atedtoreviewandprioritisecommunityassetrequire-ments

Participantslearnskillsindisaster preparedness and mitigation;nutritionandlifeskills;andincomegeneratingactivities

Canalexcavation

Village raising

Roads/embankmentconstruction

Ondistributiondays,par-ticipantscometocentrestocollect their food and cash wages

Participantsareselectedfrom ultra poor households in disaster prone areas

Food and Cash for Assets is undertaken

Food and Cash for Training is undertaken

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BetweenAugust2010andApril2011,WFPprovidedfoodandnutritionassistancetovictimsofCycloneAila.Thiscyclone,whichstruckinMay2009,hadwashedawaythousandsofkilometresofembank-mentsforcingmanypeopleinlowlyingareastoseekrefugeontheremainingembankments.WFP,incoordinationwithUNDPandUNICEFandfundedbytheUnitedKingdom,launchedamulti-sectorresponse to facilitate the recovery process and to assistfamilieswhiletheembankmentswererebuilt.

WFPprovidedfoodassistanceto62,835beneficiar-iesinthehardesthitregions.Thisresultedinsub-stantialimprovementsinhouseholdfoodsecurityandthenutritionalstatusoftheaffectedpopula-tion.Accordingtosurveysundertaken,90percentofhouseholdsreportedadequatefoodconsumptionfollowingassistance,upfrom50percentinitially.BytheendofWFP’soperationsallhouseholdsreport-ed they consumed three meals a day compared to ayearearlierwhenitwasjustoneinthreehouse-

holds.

Inaddition,WFPprovidedsupplementaryfeedingto2,809pregnantandlactatingwomenandchildrenunderfive.Thisledtoareductionintheprevalenceofacuteundernutritioninchildrenunderfivebysevenpercentandforpregnantandlactatingwom-enby14and19percentrespectively.

In2008,thousandsoffamiliesintheChittagongHillTractssufferedseverefoodinsecurity,unemploy-mentandundernutrition.Theareawasoverrunbymillionsofrats,causedbyseasonalfloweringofbamboo,whichdestroyedthecropsandtherebylivelihoodsofthepeoplelivingintheregion.

ThatsameyearWFPlaunchedaresponsefundedbytheEuropeanUnion’shumanitarianagency,ECHO,andAustraliafor43,150beneficiariestopreventdeteriorationofthefoodsecuritysituationandtoprotectandrestorelivelihoodsoftheaffectedpopu-lation.By2010,WFPhadtransitionedtoarecoveryphaseandfocusedonbuildingroadstolinkcommu-nitieswithmarkets.Thiswascomplementedwithtrainingonnutrition,livelihoodsandotherlifeskills.WFPalsoprovidedcashgrantsforthepurchaseofJhumseedstoassistpeoplegetbackontheirfeet.

Theseactivitiesresultedin96percentofhouseholdsreportingacceptablefoodconsumptionscoresand86percentconsumingthreemealsaday.Theactivi-tiesalsoledto86percentofhouseholdsreportinganincreasedincomeandalmostall(99percent)householdsbecomingre-involvedinJhumcultiva-tion,exceptSajekUnionduetoatemporarygovern-mentbanonJhumcultivation.

Response to Cyclone Aila

Rodent crisis recovery in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

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Improving food security for the ultra poorIn2009,WFPstarteditsFoodSecurityfortheUltraPoorprojectwithfinancialassistancefromtheEu-ropeanUnionforaperiodoffouryears.Theprojectisapromotionalsafetynetinterventionthataimstoimprovethefoodsecurityandnutritionalwellbeingof30,000ultrapoorhouseholdsinnorth-westernBangladesh.

Atthesametime,theprojectbeganprovidingvalu-ableevidenceandlessonstofeedintoWFP’sdia-loguewiththeGovernmentonsafetynetreform.Itisbasedarounda24-monthcyclewhichfeaturesacashgrant,amonthlyallowance,savingsassistance,assetcreationassistanceandacurriculumofspecialisedtrainingstoassistparticipantspurchaseandmanagelivelihoodassets,suchaslivestock,weavingequip-mentorrickshaws.

Participantsincreasethevalueoftheirassetbyrein-vestingprofitsoverthedurationoftheproject.WFPprovidesongoingsupport,includingregularfollowupvisitsandfulltimeveterinarians.Selfhelpgroupsarealsoorganisedforthewomenwheretheyshareideas,poolsavingsanddiscusstopicalissues,suchasearlymarriageanddowry.

Key achievements in 2010ThefirstoutcomesurveyfortheFoodSecurityfortheUltraPoor(FSUP)project,releasedinJuly2011,foundthefollowing:

• The value of total household assets in-creasedfrom20,103takato38,113taka.

• Thevalueofproductiveassetsincreasedfrom3,773takato31,285taka.

• Monthlyearningsforwomenincreasedfrom327takato1,129taka.

• Household average incomes increased from 1,953takato4,715takapermonth.

• Householdfoodconsumptionscoresin-creasedfrom33to50.

• Ultrapoorwomenreportedsignificantlyhigherlevelsofmobility,whichisaproxyforwomen’sempowerment.

Steps of the Food Security for the Ultra Poor programme

Womenfromultrapoorhouseholdsareselectedusingcriteriathatemphasisevulnerability,foodinsecurityandlackoflandandassets

Throughself-helpmanagementgroupformation,womenareprovidedwithentrepreneurshipdevelop-mentandtraininginanincomegeneratingactivityoftheir choice

Womencollecttheirmonthlycashallowanceandone-timecashgrantondistributiondays

Beeffattening Rickshaw-van

Poultry farming Weaving

Womentheninvesttheirone-timeassetgrantinanincomegeneratingactivityoftheirchoice

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A family business: Ranu and her investments

InKhokshaBaravillageinnorthernBangladesh,doz-ensofwomenbelongtovillagesavingsandsupportgroups.Thesewomenmeettwiceamonthtohelpeachotherimprovetheirbusinesses,developplansfor using their group savings and to discuss cur-rentissues,suchasdowryandearlymarriage.ThegroupsareorganisedbyWFPthroughtheFSUPpro-ject.Thesewomenreceiveacashgrantcombinedwithaseriesoftrainingstoassisttheminlookingaf-terasmallbusiness.Theyusethemoneyforawidevarietyofinvestmentsthatincludelivestockraising,cropcultivation,fishfarmingandfabricproduction.

RanuRaniisaparticipantinoneofthesegroups.Ranuusedherassetgranttoinvest5,000takainmaterialsforbasketweavingandtheremaining9,000takatostartabarbershopbusinessforherhusband.Fromtheseinvestments,Ranuandherfamilynowearnaregularincomeof5,500takapermonth.Insixmonths,shesaved13,500takawhichsheusedtobuytwopigsthatherfatherlooksafter.Ranuandherhusbandhavealsobeenabletoinstallapropertoilet,replacingtheopenpitusedearlier,andtheyhaveplanstoexpandtheirbarbershop.

Ranupointsoutthatsheisnowabletobettersup-porther10yearoldsonand8yearolddaughter:“MychildrenwillhaveabrighterfutureiftheygetaproperdietandaneducationsoIwillstruggletomakethishappen”.

Theeconomicdevelopmentofficer,whoprovidesongoingassistancetoRanuandotherparticipants,explained:“together,thewomen’sgroupthatRanubelongstohavesavingsofover21,000taka.Theyregularlycontribute100takapermonthandforthosethataregoingthroughdifficulttimes,thegrouppitchintohelp.Inonecase,agroupmem-ber’scowdiedandtheothermembersraised2,500takatohelphergetbackonherfeet.”

Ranuhasn’tneededthissupportsofar.Shelivesinadisaster prone area and she noted that through the trainingshelearntstrategiestobetterpreparefordisasters.Shehasstockpiled20kgofrice,preparedamoveablestoveandhasidentifiedasafelocationtotakeherfamilyshoulddisasterstrike.

“Our barber shop, basket weaving busi-ness and pigs enable us to save money for the future, survive the present and

support our children”Ranu,women’sgroupmember

Women leading the way

Asaclearindicatorofincreasedempowerment,eightwomenfromtheFSUPprojectwereelect-edinlocalelectionsinearly2011.

ThewomenarenowrepresentingaclusterofsurroundingvillagesinofficialUnion-levelexecu-tivecommittees,theso-calledUnionParishads:thebackboneoftheBangladeshlocalgovern-ancesystem.Thiswasunplannedandunprec-edented,asnormallyultrapoorwomenwouldsimplynoteventhinkofcampaigning.

Nurjahan(pictured)becameaparticipantoftheFSUPprojectinearly2010.Sheinvestedhercashgrantincropproductionandgrewbothhercropsandfinancialbaseoverthecourseoftheyear.Aftersupportfromherself-helpgroupshedecidedtocampaignforelectionandwonalandslidevictory,gaining1452votes,threetimesmorethanherclosestcompetitor.

NurjahanRanu Rani

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Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation

Emergency Operation

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Situation

Since1992,WFPhasprovidedfood assistance to refugees from Myanmar residing in camps in Cox’sBazarDistrict,south-easternBangladesh.Asrefugees,free-dom of movement and access to incomeislimitedsointernationalhumanitarian assistance is vital in ordertomeettheirbasicneeds.

Foodsecurityandundernutritioninthecampsremainaconcern,with77percentofhouseholdsexperiencing high to very high levels of food insecurity and acute undernutritionclosetothe15percentemergencythreshold.Thissituationisrelatedtoarangeoffactors,includingsharingofthefoodrationswithunregisteredfamilymembers,limitedaccesstocomplementaryfoods,highchild

morbidityandsub-optimalinfantcarepractices.WFPworksinclosecollaborationwithUNHCR,theGovernmentofBangladeshandarangeofNGOpartnerstocon-tinuetostrengthenitsnutritionand food security support in the camps.

Solutions

Prospectsfordurablesolutionsremainlimitedaslocalintegrationorrepatriationarenotcurrentlyoptionsandresettlementoppor-tunitiesarefew.Undercurrentconditions,foodassistancefromWFPcontinuestobeessentialtomeetingtherefugees’basicneeds.

Response

WFPseekstosafeguardthenutri-tionandfoodsecurityoftherefu-

geepopulationthroughapackageofinterventionsdesignedtoad-dress the minimum caloric needs ofthewholeregisteredrefugeepopulationaswellasthespecificnutritionalneedsofparticularlyvulnerablegroups.

In2010,thisincludedprovisionofageneralfoodrationtorefu-geesinKutupalongandNayaparacamps.WFPalsosupportedasupplementary feeding pro-gramme as part of a Community-BasedManagementofAcuteMalnutrition(CMAM)programmeinpartnershipwithUNHCRandActionAgainstHunger.Toencour-ageschoolenrolmentandattend-ance,WFPcontinuedtoprovideschoolsnackstoallschoolstu-dents and adolescent literacy learnersinthecamps.

Supporting refugees through difficult times

Key achievements in 2010• Providedafortnightlygeneralfoodrationto

24,106refugeestostrengthentheirfoodandnutritionsecurity.

• Enhancedrefugeenutritionsituationbyintro-ducingmicronutrientfortifiedblendedfood(WSB+)inthegeneralandsupplementaryfeed-ingrations.

• Distributedfortifiedbiscuitsto6,600refugeeschool children and adolescent literacy learners oneveryschoolday.

• Introducedblanketsupplementaryfeedingforchildrenundertwotoaddressthehighratesofundernutritionamongstthisagegroup.

• Provided supplementary feeding support to al-most1,000pregnantandlactatingwomenand750moderatelyundernourishedchildrenunderfive,andprovidedblanketfeedingsupportto980childrenundertwo.

• EstablishedrefugeeFoodManagementCom-mitteestoenhancerefugees’,particularlywom-en’s,participationinthemanagementoffooddistribution.

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Between2009and2010,WFPrespondedtothehighfoodpricecrisisof2008andaseriesofnaturaldisastersafterreceivingsubstantialsupportfromtheEuropeanUnionFoodFacilityandotherdonors.Thepricecrisisresultedinacuteundernutritionofchildrenunderfiverisingto25percentinthehard-esthitareasofBangladeshandledtoanadditional7.5millionpeoplefallingbelowthepovertyline.

WFPundertookareliefeffortdesignedtomeettheimmediatefoodsecurityandnutritionneedsofthemostvulnerablehouseholdsandcommunitiesaswellasstrengthentheirlonger-termfoodsecuritytocopewithfuturepricerisesanddisasters.Thisinvolvedtheconstructionofcommunityassetstoprotectfromfuturedisasters,improvemarketac-cessandincreaseagriculturalproduction.Employ-mentgenerationwasundertakenduringtheleanseasons to protect households from heightened foodinsecurity.

WFPalsoscaledupschoolfeedingtoreducedropoutsandmaintainattendancelevels.Womenwereprovidedwithcashgrantsandlivelihoodtrainingto assist them to strengthen their household food securitysituation.ApilotnutritionprogrammeusingmicronutrientpowderswasalsoundertakentotestthebenefitsofthisapproachintheBangla-deshcontext.Thismulti-facetedapproachprovedsuccessfulinlimitingtheimpactofthefoodpricecrisisonbeneficiariesandhasprovidedtheskillsandresourcestopreparethemtobettercopewithfutureshocks.

WFP response to the high food price crisis

Key achievements in 2010• Providedassistanceto1,361,999beneficiar-

ies(51percentwomen)throughthedistri-butionofUS$18,434,460incashwagesandcashgrantsforassetcreationand16,500mtofrice,highenergybiscuitsandmicronutri-entpowdersforfoodandnutritionsecuritysupport.

• Createdshort-termemploymentfor158,755ultrapoorparticipants(60percentwomen).Thisledtotheconstructionof5,276kmofroads,embankmentsandcanals,43fishpondsand156raisedhomesteads.

• Constructedembankmentsandcanalsben-efitinganestimated50,851hectaresoflandwhichinturnincreasedfutureagriculturalproductivitybyanestimated30percent.

• Providedschoolfeedingtoanadditional568,224childrenin3,500ruralandurbanprimaryschools.

• Providedcashgrantsandtrainingto25,000womenwith83percentreportingasus-tainedincreaseinincome.

• Distributedmicronutrientpowdersto25,000womenandchildrenunderfiveleadingtoadeclineinirondeficiencyanaemiafrom29percentto18percent.

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Inresponsetothehighfoodpricecrisis,WFPundertookacanalre-excavationprojectinFakirhatUpazilainthesoutherncoastalbelt.Thisschemehasledtoasignificantincreaseinfoodsecurityandlivelihoodopportunitiesforthepeoplelivingalongitsbanks.Accordingtolocalfarmers,theland around the canal had not produced a harvest forfivetosevenyearsduetoalackofavailablefreshwaterforirrigation.

Thecanalhasledtoareliablesupplyoffreshwa-terfor7monthsoftheyear,andfortheremaining5months,whensaltwaterispresent,itprovidesalternativeincomeearningopportunitiesthroughshrimpcultivation.Freshwaterstoredinpondsisusedforcontinuedirrigation.

Farmersarenowoptimisticthattheywillbeabletoundertakethreeharvestsperyearandtheyreiterate the enormous impact it has made to the availabilityoffoodintheregionaswellastheadditionalincometheyderivefromtheharvest.Beforethecanal,theynotedthattheywereforcedtomigratetocitiesforwork,butthisisnowmuchlessthecase.

The farmers and other residents also report that thecanalhasbroughtotherbenefits,particularlyrelatedtoenhancingresiliencetodisasters.Thecanalhasactedasadrainageandembankmentsystemintimesoffloodingaswellasprotectingcommunitiesfromtidalsurges.

Type of project: Canalre-excavationscheme

Location:FakirhatUpazila,BagerhatDistrict

Length:11.2km

Number of employment days: 95,434

Cost:US$210,000

Dates of construction: April–June2010

Number of participants: 2,314(women:531)

“For the past five years we have not been able to harvest this land.

Now we no longer have to go to the cities for work and we are able to

harvest three times a year.” Syed,localfarmer.

Food security through agricultural assets

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Byworkinginpartnership,WFPhascreatedopportunitiestoleveragethestrengthsandresourcesoftheGovernmentandotherpartnersaswellascreatesynergiesbetweendifferentactivities.

The Government of Bangladesh

TheGovernmentisWFP’smainpartneranddonorinBangladesh.IthasbeenastrongsupporterofWFPsincethe1970s,providingbothtechnicalandimplementationassistanceandin-kindcontributionsoffoodandcash.WFPworkswiththeGovernmenttoachievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsbyimprovingthefoodsecurity,nutritionalstatusandlivelihoodsoftheultrapoor.

Communities and beneficiaries

WFPinvolvescommunitiesandbeneficiariesinthedecisionsthataffecttheirlivesandadaptspro-grammestobestmeettheirneeds.Programmeparticipantsarerepresentedonallfoodandcashmanagementcommittees.

Non-government organisations

NGOsarethefrontlineofWFP’sactivitiesinBang-ladesh.In2010,WFPpartneredwithmorethan30localandinternationalNGOs.NGOpartnersbringstrongcommunitylevellinksandassistinprovidingacontinuumofdevelopmentservicestocomple-mentandimplementWFP’sactivities.

Donors and corporate partners

Donors–bothpublicandprivate–areintegralpartnersinBangladeshprovidingfinancial,policyandoperationalsupporttoWFP.Bangladeshislead-ingthewayforWFPgloballyinforgingpartnershipswiththeprivatesector,particularlythroughProjectLaserBeam.

Research partners

In2010,WFPteamedupwithleadingagenciestodrivepracticalresearch.WFPworkedwiththeBang-ladeshBureauofStatistics(BBS),theInternationalFoodPolicyResearchInstitute(IFPRI),JohnsHopkinsSchoolofPublicHealth,theInternationalCentreforDiarrhoealDiseaseResearch,Bangladesh(ICDDR,B)andanumberofotherleadinginstitutions.

United Nations partners

WFP’sUnitedNationspartnersareessentialinprovidingamulti-facetedapproachtoourinterven-tions.In2010,WFPworkedwithUNpartnersinthedevelopmentofanewUNDevelopmentAssistanceFramework,theimplementationofemergencyresponse and recovery programmes and in policy dialoguewiththeGovernment.

“When we act together we have the power to bring about real change in the lives of millions of people who would otherwise struggle to feed their families”

SheilaSisulu,WFPDeputyExecutiveDirectorforHungerSolutions

Our partners in Bangladesh

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The‘RenewedEffortsAgainstChildHungerandUndernutrition’ini-tiativewaslaunchedinBangladeshinJuly2010jointlybyWFP,FAO,WHOandUNICEF.

REACHisaglobalpartnershipcommittedtomeetingthenutritionneedsoftheworld’smostvulnerablechildrenandwomen,throughevidence-basedanalysisandinnovativeprogrammingthatbuildsgov-ernmentinstitutionalcapacity,strengthenspolicyplanningskillsandprioritisesscarceresources.REACHpromotesthescale-upofprovenandeffectivenutritioninterventionsasshowninthediagram.

The REACH initiative

Project Laser BeamProjectLaserBeam(PLB)isafive-year,US$50millionpublic-privatepartnershipthatseekstosignificantlyreducechildundernutrition.PLBbringstogethertheexpertiseofWFPwithleadingfoodandnutritioncompaniessothatWFPcanharnesstheideas,creativityandtechnol-ogyoftheprivatesector.

PLBwasunveiledbyformerUSPresidentClintoninSeptember2009.Thepartnershipwillcentrearoundthreemainpillars:food,hygieneandbehaviouralchange.PLBwillemploythemanynutritionalsolu-tionsalreadyavailableinthemarketplace,ensuringtheyareaccessibletothoseinneed.

Increase micronutrient intake

Increase treatment of acuteundernutrition

Improve hygiene and parasite control

Improvebreastfeedingand complementary

feeding

Improve household food security

Behaviourchange

Health

Food

32

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Donor contributionsDonorsenableWFPtodeliverprogrammestotheultrapoor.Theyprovidevaluablefinancialsupport,butalsoworkwithWFPtostrengthenprogrammesandfostercooperationbetweenagencies.

In2010,WFPreceivedcontributionsfromcountries,multilateralinstitutions,theprivatesectorandprivatedonors.WFPalsohostedanumberofseniordonordelegationsandworkedwithin-countryrepresentativestodeliverprogrammesinamoreintegratedandcoordinatedmanner.

During2010,WFPdevelopeditsCountryStrategyforthenextfivetotenyears.Thisinvolvedextensiveconsultationwithdonorsthroughbilateralmeetings,localconsultativegroups,andpolicydialogueforums.ThisactiveengagementofdonorsenabledWFPtostrengthenitsapproachtofoodandnutritionsecurity.

Strong support from the Government

TheGovernmentofBangladeshisWFP’slargestdonor,providingoverUS$50millioninfoodandcashoverthepastfiveyearsaswellasvitaltechnicalassistance.TheGovernmentisanessentialpartner,inbothdevelopmentactivitiesandemergencyopera-tions.Inemergencies,theGovernmentadvancesfoodfromitsownstockstoenableWFPtomorequicklyreachthoseinneed.

Total direct donor contributions in 2010(US$38,951,600*)

OtherUS$6,229,800

JapanUS$9,414,500

USAUS$6,759,800

European CommissionUS$6,327,100

Government of BangladeshUS$3,280,300

AustraliaUS$2,396,700

Private Donors

US$2,293,400

United Kingdom

US$2,250,000

Multilateral and multi-year contributions

FromWFPmultilateralcon-tributions,theBangladeshCountryOfficereceivedUS$4,745,500fromGermanyandUS$3,099,800fromNewZealand.

WFPalsoreceivedUS$3,540,800fromSpainin2009throughtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalFundtobeusedoverathreeyearperiod.

*Totaldoesnotincludemultilateralcontributionsandonlyincludesfundsreceivedin2010.Figuresdonotaddupduetorounding.

34

Our staffAttheendof2010,WFPhadateamof139peopleworkingacrossthecountry:intheCountryOfficeinDhakaandsixsub-officesinRangpur,Khulna,Sirajganj,Barisal,RangamatiandCox’sBazar.Thisincludedtwelveinternationalstaffand127nationalstaff.Oftheinternationalstaff,therewerefourAustralianYouthAmbassadorsforDevelopment,anAusAID-sponsoredprogramme.

Womenmadeup36percentofWFP’sworkforceinBangladeshandeffortsarebeingundertakentoincreasethisratiotowardsgenderpar-ity.AchallengethatWFPisattemptingtoovercomeistoincreasethenumberofqualifiedfemaleapplicantsforprofessionalpositions.

WFPisundertakinggreatereffortstorecruitqualifiedwomenbycreat-inggreatervisibilityaboutWFP’svacancies.This,inturn,isexpectedtoleadtoalargerpooloffemaleapplicants.

Statistics in 2010Total staff:

139International to national ratio:

12to127Sub offices:

43percentProportion of women:

36percent

Credits

Photos:Fromlefttoright,toptobottom.Cover:AKMShehabUddin;p2-3:ShehzadNoorani;p4-5:GMBAkash;p6-8:AKMShehabUddin;p9:NathanSarker;p10:GMBAkash,ShehzadNoorani;p11:GMBAkash,AmyJohansson;p12:GMBAkash,ReinSkullerud,GMBAkash,WFP/Photolibrary;p13:GMBAkash;p14:ShehzadNoorani;p15:GMBAkash;p16:NathanSarker;p18:AmyJohansson;p19:GMBAkash;p20:AllGMBAkash;p21:AmyJohansson;p22:Topleft,ChandonRobertRobeiro,allothersGMBAkash;p23:An-drewBiraj,NathanSarker;p24:AllAmyJohanssonexcepttopright,ShehzadNoorani;p25:AllAmyJohans-son,exceptmiddle,WFP/Photolibrary;p26:AKMShehabUddin;p27:WFP/Photolibrary;p28:GMBAkash;p29:PhilipHulcome,WFP/Photolibrary;p30:GMBAkash;p31:GMBAkash;p32:MdHarunRashidTutu;p33:AllGMBAkash;p34:AmyJohansson.

Design and editing:PhilipHulcome.

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World Food ProgrammeBangladesh

CountryOfficeIDBBhaban,E/8-A,RokeyaSharani,Agargaon,Sher-e-BanglaNagar,

Dhaka-1207,BangladeshTel:+8802-8116344WFP.Dhaka@wfp.org

www.wfp.org/Bangladesh