This report includes:
(A) Headlines
(B) Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe: (1) Armenia
(C) Eastern & Central Africa: (1) Burundi (2) Congo, DR (3) Eritrea (4) Ethiopia (5) Kenya (6) Rwanda (7) Somalia (8) Sudan (9) Tanzania (10) Uganda
(D) West Africa: (1) Chad (2) Cote d'Ivoire (3) Guinea (4) Liberia (5) Mauritania
(E) Southern Africa: (1) Regional (2) Angola (3) Lesotho (4) Malawi (5) Mozambique (6) Namibia (7) Swaziland (8) Zambia (9) Zimbabwe
(F) Asia: (1) Regional: Asia Tsunami (2) Bangladesh (3) Indonesia (4) Korea (DPR) (5) Maldives (6) Myanmar (7) Sri Lanka (8) Thailand
(G) Latin America and Caribbean: (1) Guyana flood emergency (2) Bolivia (3) Colombia (4) Cuba (5) Ecuador (6) Guatemala (7) Haiti (8) Nicaragua
From David Kaatrud, Chief of the Analysis, Assessment and Preparedness Service of the United Nations World Food Programme (ODA); available on the Internet on the WFP Home Page (www.wfp.org), or by e-mail from Carlo.Scaramella@wfp.org, Chief of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Branch (ODAP). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Valerie.Sequeira@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone +39 06 6513 2009. Media queries should be directed to Trevor.Rowe@wfp.org, telephone +39 06 6513 2602. The address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, 00148 Rome, Italy.
(A) Headlines
(a) As a major player in the UN relief effort in the Indian Ocean region, WFP is appealing to governments for USD 256 million to feed one-and-a-half million people.
(b) In Indonesia, the humanitarian community has begun planning a six-month sea, land and air operation to deliver 15,000 tons of relief aid per month to an estimated 750,000 internally displaced persons.
(c) In Sri Lanka, one month after the tsunami, the humanitarian situation has stabilized - immediate humanitarian needs have generally been met in all sectors.
(d) During the past week, WFP continued to distribute food to over two million drought-affected people in Kenya.
(e) An outbreak of cholera in Bujumbura, Burundi has killed at least five people and infected another 105 in the past two weeks.
(f) The Government of Angola has banned the entry of GM grain into the country unless prior authorization is given by the Minister of Agriculture.
(g) Despite the good harvest in Ethiopia, some 2.2 million people will require emergency food assistance in 2005.
(h) The security situation remains tense in the Darfurs after several violent incidents in West and South Darfur.
(i) In the Democratic Republic of Congo, various armed factions continued to prey on farmers in eastern DRC, with kidnappings and rape widespread, and food security adversely affected.
(j) Nearly 300,000 refugees, IDPs, and ex-combatants are expected to resettle in the interior parts of Liberia.
(k) WFP urgently needs USD 180 million to feed to 4.9 million families vulnerable to food insecurity and HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2005.
(B) Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe: (1) Armenia
(1) Armenia
(a) On January 26 WFP announced a USD 135,600 donation from Greece for food assistance to 110,000 impoverished Armenians. Funding shortfalls had forced WFP to temporarily cut off food aid to 30,000 vulnerable Armenians in the autumn of 2004.
(b) WFP’s current PRRO in Armenia began halfway through 2004, and includes relief distribution; school feeding and food for training programs; rehabilitation and reconstruction; and building community assets such as irrigation and drinking water networks, schools, kindergartens and hospitals through food for work.
(c) The PRRO targets a total of 110,000 people per year in the capital Yerevan, as well as four provinces, including Gegharkunik, Lori, Shirak and Tavush. WFP’s total costs in Armenia for the current operation are USD 11.5 million, including the 21,660 tons of food. WFP faces a shortfall of USD 6.7 million through June 2006.
(C) East & Central Africa: (1) Burundi (2) Congo, DR (3) Eritrea (4) Ethiopia (5) Kenya (6) Rwanda (7) Somalia (8) Sudan (9) Tanzania (10) Uganda
(1) Burundi
(a) An outbreak of Cholera in Bujumbura has killed at least five people and infected another 105 in the past two weeks.
(b) The joint FAO/WFP/UNICEF/Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) crop and food supply assessment mission completed its field work last week. The data analysis and report preparation are on-going.
(c) WFP conducted public validations of beneficiary lists where targeting was not done according to vulnerability criteria. An improved targeting process involving local organisations, churches, key informants and the administration has been initiated in the Northern Provinces and will be extended to other areas. Furthermore in the Northern provinces, WFP partners will distribute family rations to the relatives of patients in the Supplementary Feeding Centres (SFC) and Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFC). Meanwhile, WFP will also preposition biscuits within parishes and with other relevant partners to assist vulnerable households that have not been assisted with food aid so far (as a temporary measure).
(d) Between 17 and 23 January, WFP distributed more than 1,400 tons of food commodities to some 194,000 beneficiaries under various programme activities. WFP also provided 586 returnees from Tanzania with three-month return packages and another 207 returnees benefited from wet feeding while staying in transit camps.
(e) Some food distributions were carried out without pulses due to shortages in the warehouses. Stocks in the country remain in short supply compared to the increasing requirements. Expedited delivery of food allocated to Burundi is still required to respond to food shortages in the Northern provinces. WFP is facing a shortfall of pulses.
(f) The Twin Otter Aircraft, providing humanitarian air service in Burundi under WFP management, is temporarily out of operation.
(2) Congo, DR
(a) Various armed factions continued to prey on farmers in eastern DRC. In North Kivu, villages near military camps were repeatedly raided, preventing farmers - mostly women - from tending their fields. This is adversely affecting food security. In South Kivu, kidnappings with ransom requests and the rape of women have become widespread practices. Access to the most affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) was prevented either by insecurity (in Walungu) or damaged road infrastructure (in Minova). According to DRC Red Cross the number of Congolese returning from Tanzania has increased: over 200 people are crossing the border towards Fizi and Baraka every week.
(b) From 1 to 17 January, some 2,100 persons (525 families) have been registered. Joint WFP/NGO IDPs needs assessments were carried out in some areas of North Kivu where peace seems to have returned. WFP and Caritas have planned to provide food assistance for some 4,000 families of IDPs in Minova.
(c) Western DRC is expecting the resettlement of Congolese who have crossed into neighbouring countries during the conflict that has affected DRC since 1996. A joint WFP/UNDP/WHO/FAO/UNICEF/UNHCR/NGOs Assessment Mission conducted field visits in Katanga, Equateur and eastern provinces to assess conditions for potential returnees. It is expected that 60,000 out of 75,000 returnees from Congo Brazzaville will be reintegrated in their villages in Equateur province.
(d) WFP distributed some 54 tons of food aid to about 6,500 people who lost their houses in recent heavy rains. Another 8 tons of food was delivered to Action Contre la Faim (ACF) USA to be distributed in supplementary and therapeutic Feeding Centres to a total of 755 malnourished people.
(3) Eritrea
(a) The price of the staple cereal "taff" has fallen by about 80 percent in local markets since October 2004, probably due to cross border trade.
(b) Due to the non-distribution of food in November, the lack of or reduced ration of oil in the December ration and the delayed distribution in January, beneficiaries in Anseba are facing acute food shortages. The price of cooking oil has risen considerably, thus affecting purchasing power and making it very difficult for people living in drought-affected areas to re-establish their livelihoods. Resourcing levels for EMOP 10261.01 remains unchanged. Commitment coverage stands at USD 29.45 million or approximately 85,000 tons of food - about 80 percent of total requirements. The PRRO commitment coverage increased to about USD 27 million which represent more than 50 percent of its food requirements.
(c) WFP in-country food stocks will last until March 2005.
(4) Ethiopia
(a) Prolonged drought leading to acute water and fodder shortages has affected pastoralist areas in eastern and southern country. Erratic and poorly distributed rains have also affected some central and northern parts of the country with concomitant effects on crop yields.
(b) The joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) in Ethiopia last November/December 2004 reported cereal and pulse production for 2004 meher (main) season is 14.27 million tons - 24 percent more than 2003 and 21 percent more than the average of the previous five years. Despite the good harvest, some 2.2 million acutely food-insecure people will require emergency food assistance to meet minimum food requirements throughout 2005. Another 5 million chronically food-insecure people will receive food and cash transfers under the Productive Safety Net Programme starting this year.
(c) According to the CFSAM Report, the emergency food aid requirements for 2005 are estimated to be about 387,500 tons.
(d) WFP plans to distribute up to 89,000 tons of fortified blended food and vegetable oil to 700,000 malnourished children under-five and 300,000 malnourished pregnant and nursing women throughout 2005, in support of a UNICEF/Government programme.
(5) Kenya
(a) The security situation in Mandera District remains tense, despite improvement over the past week following the President’s visit.
(b) Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 WFP EMOP beneficiaries were displaced and several people lost their lives due to recent clashes reported in Mandera. This also affected food deliveries. WFP has requested the Government to provide extra security to the commercial trucks carrying WFP food. Thorough verification of the displaced is ongoing with the partner NGOs, WFP staff and district authorities.
(c) The three-week short rains assessments of food and non-food needs in 20 pastoral and marginal agricultural districts finished this week. Draft reports are expected to be presented next week and approved by the Kenya Food Security Meeting on 10 February. Meanwhile, WFP has extended all field-level agreements with partner NGOs through to February 2005 pending the results of the assessments, which will indicate how much food assistance will still be needed after January.
(d) According to preliminary assessment reports from Kajiado District the food security situation has worsened due to the failure of rains. Malnutrition rates are reportedly high, and there is an acute lack of water. For livestock, pasture and browse are also in short supply. Livestock are in poor body condition, and diseases are reportedly on the increase. Consequently livestock mortality is high, and pastoralists are migrating to Nairobi and Tanzania. WFP, in consultation with the Kenya Food Security Steering Group has increased the total of current beneficiaries in this district from 77,565 to 141,239.
(e) During the past week, WFP continued to distribute food to over two million drought-affected people. However, a new Government regulation (in force since 1 January) requiring all commercial trucks to be fitted with speed governors, which are in short supply, is causing serious delays in food delivery.
(6) Rwanda
(a) Last week the number of refugees continued to rise, with more than 47,000 Congolese and Burundian refugees in the country. No repatriation of refugees took place during the past week, thus reducing resources available for vulnerable groups under WFP supported activities such as Food-For-Work (FFW), Food-For-Training (FFT) and nutrition programmes.
(b) WFP in collaboration with government organizations has assisted over 2,200 HIV/Aids affected people in Kicukiro district.
(c) WFP provided about 450 tons of food to some 25,000 refugees in four camps. There is a critical pipeline break and WFP has had to make adjustments by getting loans from other projects, cutting the rations and suspending new proposals under the PRRO. Donors are yet to respond to the appeal made by WFP in December 2004.
(7) Somalia
(a) In southern Somalia, poor road conditions and insecurity continue to be the major obstacles, resulting in areas where accessibility is either irregular or not possible. In the north, the effects of the recent cyclone and mudslides have slowed down accessibility and the movement of humanitarian assistance to remote locations, such as La Qoray, and other settlements in the East Sanag region.
(b) WFP has replenished food stocks for both the emergency relief assistance to the Tsunami victims and the regular programmes through two ships carrying 4,100 tons of food to Bossaso and 1,300 tons to Barbara for the Hargeisa programmes. WFP continued to assist and dispatch relief assistance to the Tsunami victims. Over 360 tons of food commodities have been distributed to some 29,000 beneficiaries in very remote villages and settlements along the north-eastern coast.
(c) WFP will take part in a multi-agency Tsunami Assessment Mission, led by OCHA, expected to be carried out from 28 January to 7 February, to survey the most affected districts along the northeast coastal areas.
(d) Ongoing monitoring indicates a normal harvest in the high potential crop growing areas. However four consecutive years of drought have devastated livelihood systems in many parts of the country (the predominantly pastoral northwest, the northeast and the south area of Juba valley), which still require relief emergency assistance.
(e) Malnutrition rates remain critical (from 19 to 37 percent) in Juba valley and Sool southern region and in Sanag northern region, while access to health services, sanitation and drinking water is extremely poor. WFP has started delivering over 260 tons of food to vulnerable groups along the Juba river valley.
(8) Sudan
(a) The security situation remains tense in the Darfurs with violent incidents in the northern part of West Darfur and South Darfur. In West Darfur, a UN security team is investigating increasing tensions in Saleah following attacks on a location southeast of Jebel Moon, 3km from a Government of Sudan (GoS) military camp and ambushes in Habilah (this location is north of El Geneina), 7km from Saleah.
(b) A WFP truck was stopped 23 km from El Geneina, on a road to Habilah, and the driver and porter on board were robbed of their personal belongings. In South Darfur, an estimated 10,000 IDPs fled to Menawashi, following attacks in several villages around this area. Reports that a significant number of villages between Labado and Marla had been burned were also received. The African Union has deployed approximately 30-50 people to Labado, Muhajiria and Ed Daein in an attempt to establish a permanent base in these areas. It is hoped that the presence of the African Union (AU) will bring about more stability.
(c) As of 24 January, more than 21,300 tons of food has been despatched by road and air from hubs in Khartoum and El Obeid to the Darfur state capitals. Despatches from the three state capitals to Cooperating Partners (CPs) between 1 and 24 January exceed 16,000 tons of food to an estimated 914,800 beneficiaries (based on despatches).
(d) International Organisation of Migration (IOM) led a registration exercise in Keranic camp, 67km east of El Geneina, on 19 January to register 1,575 individuals who recently arrived in Keranic. Both the Sudanese Red Crescent (SRC) and WFP were involved in the exercise, with WFP monitoring the process and IOM providing technical guidance. The new arrivals were displaced from seven villages namely - Gadiir, Artaba, Timied, Gozso, Shatab, Rayat and Sagako - due to continued harassment by armed groups in the area. An interagency assessment mission, including WFP, recommended urgent humanitarian assistance (food, sanitation and shelter) for the new arrivals. Food distribution to some 24,000 people and new arrivals in Keranic camp took place on 23 January.
(e) The Humanitarian Aid Commissioner (HAC) in Kass has expressed concerns about the continuous arrival of people in Kass IDP camps from surrounding villages due to food insecurity. WFP and CARE will conduct a food needs assessment in villages surrounding Kass after the security situation improves.
(f) WFP and SRC will verify new arrivals in camps in El Fasher town. The IDPs are reportedly from Tawilah which came under attack in November. A significant number of IDPs from Tawilah are also being hosted in the Abu Shouk camp.
(g) Confirmed contributions against the new EMOP amount to USD 240.2 million - almost 55 percent of total requirements. Due to shortfalls in all commodities, and in absence of cash contributions, WFP has requested new Immediate Response Account (IRA) loans amounting to USD 20 million to procure non-cereals on time. The timely procurement of non-cereals will allow WFP to start pre-positioning food before the rainy season and will avoid pipeline breaks. The Special Operation for logistics support faces a shortfall of USD 29 million and the WFP-Humanitarian Air Services faces a shortfall of USD 24 million.
(h) Southern Sudan
(i) During the past week, WFP distributed 11 tons of food to more than 3,400 beneficiaries in Bahr El Ghazal for institutional feeding and emergency food for education programmes. In Upper Nile, 13 tons of food was provided to about 780 persons under institutional feeding activities. In the White Nile, WFP dispatched 31 tons of mixed commodities to 11 schools in Laya, Ingaz, Goz El Salam and Combo Shulluk areas to about 6000 school children.
(j) Confirmed contributions received to date against the newly approved phase of the EMOP, 10048.03, amount to USD 10.8 million, which represents 10,750 tons of food. Operational requirements are 270,000 tons of food or USD 301 million.
(9) Tanzania
(a) The Tanzanian Ministry of Home Affairs, UNHCR and the Ministry of the Interior of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) met on 20 January and agreed on a tripartite legal framework for eventual voluntary repatriation of refugees from Tanzania to the DRC.
(b) They emphasized, however, in their final communiqué, that "a conducive environment for sustainable return should be present prior to the launch of the repatriation operation." Due to ongoing security issues in the DRC, UNHCR is not willing to initiate voluntary repatriation at this time, however the tripartite agreement does provide a framework for how repatriation should take place when it does eventually begin. At present, just over 149,000 DRC refugees remain in Tanzania.
(10) Uganda
(a) The peace process has been stalled by continuous hostilities that culminated in the capture of some senior Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commanders. Negotiators are awaiting feedback from the LRA on a ceasefire proposal submitted earlier in January.
(b) In three separate incidents, over 6,000 households were left homeless after their grass-thatched huts were destroyed in a spate of fires in three camps in Gulu and Lira districts. Five children were reported killed. The incidents have worsened the precarious food security situation and in response WFP has provided a one-month ration of 350 tons of food commodities to the affected families.
(c) UNHCR has received 2,500 refugees into western Uganda fleeing civil strife in eastern DRC. Upon their arrival at Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyenjojo district, WFP distributed high protein biscuits and will provide 170 tons of food per month to these new refugees. In case of further ethnic strife, WFP has a contingency plan for the likely influx of 10,000 more Congolese refugees.
(d) WFP food distribution continues to reach some 1.4 million displaced persons, 160,000 refugees and other vulnerable persons. From January 17 to 22, WFP distributed over 3,000 tons of food to approx. 263,000 persons including IDPs sheltering in camps in Gulu, Kitgum, Lira, Pader, refugees, children in nutrition centres and other vulnerable persons.
(e) WFP is anticipating a large scale drought relief operation targeting 500,000 drought-affected agro-pastoralists in the Karamoja region bordering Turkana in Kenya in February.
(f) WFP faces a shortfall of 107,500 tons of food commodities and a funding gap of USD 60 million, required to maintain relief assistance to IDPs and refugees through August 2005. Without new contributions, WFP will run out of commodities in April.
(D) West Africa: (1) Chad (2) Cote d'Ivoire (3) Guinea (4) Liberia (5) Mauritania
(1) Chad
(a) WFP, UNHCR and partners have agreed to start the second cycle of distributions on 28 January for all six northern refugee camps in Chad (approx. 107,000 refugees). Meanwhile, the three central camps, with a refugee population of approx 66,000 refugees, are expected to receive the next cycle of distributions on 31 January. The remaining two southern camps have already been covered for the month of January. UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees registered in camps and in need of food aid at approx. 206,500. Another 3,480 refugees are currently being registered but are already receiving WFP food assistance.
(b) From 19 to 25 January, WFP provided some 1,700 tons of food to approx 189,000 refugees in ten out of the eleven camps.
(c) Under the Blanket Supplementary Feeding programme, WFP provided some 75 tons of food to a total of 16,780 beneficiaries in Kounoungo, Mille, Djabal and Oure Cassoni refugee camps.
(d) With respect to convoy delays on the Libyan corridor, the Governor of Ouddai advised WFP to inform the Libyan drivers and convoy personnel to obtain visas at the Consulate of Chad in Kuffra, Libya. Slow and fragmented food deliveries through the Libyan corridor are disrupting WFP planned monthly distributions to refugees in camps. This has obliged WFP to request a loan of some 2,000 tons of cereals from the Government’s National Food Reserves (ONASA), in order to avert a break in the food pipeline.
(e) Late arrival of cargo is also hindering the implementation of Food for Work (FFW) activities among local populations.
(2) Cote d'Ivoire
(a) As of 24 January 2005, the entire territory of the Cote d’Ivoire is under UN security phase III. The security phase had previous been raised to phase IV in November 2004.
(b) On 23 January, Forces Nouvelles leader Guillaume Soro travelled to South Africa for talks with President Thabo Mbeki, after refusing to attend a joint meeting with him and the President in Yamoussoukro earlier this month.
(c) The number of IDPs in M’Bahiakro is now 1,101 persons. In Prikro there are 779 IDPs in seven camps and 442 with host families. WFP is providing general rations to these groups.
(d) Schools are open in Korhogo and some other larger towns like Ferkessedougou in the far north. In Man and Korhogo, private schools, Catholic schools and others have opened since the 17th Jan 2005. State public schools are hoping to start in the coming weeks. WFP provides food for work rations to volunteer teachers in the north who are receiving no salary. The Government continues to refuse to organize school exams in the north so that students can pass on to the following year. The students who should have taken exams are presently going to 'revision' classes organised for them in the afternoon until the exams can be held.
(e) The WFP/FAO joint food and crop assessment is currently underway and will continue until 7 February. The purpose of the mission is to evaluate the harvest and food availability. WFP will especially focus on food security at the household level and access issues.
(f) PRRO 10372.0 was approved at the October 2004 session of the Executive Board. However, to date only one contribution worth USD 0.8 million (2.8 % of the total requirements of the PRRO) has been confirmed.
(g) A complete break in the pipeline of maize meal in April will severely handicap WFP preparedness. Contributions are urgently needed, in order to allow adequate time for procurement and transport.
(h) Between January 19 and 25, WPF Côte d'Ivoire distributed 330 tons of food to more than 18,000 beneficiaries throughout the country.
(3) Guinea
(a) On 19 January, unidentified men fired at the Guinean president’s convoy in the capital, Conakry. The president escaped unscathed but two of his bodyguards were reportedly injured. Almost a hundred people were arrested and some are still being questioned. Security forces are visible in the capital while additional checkpoints have been put into place throughout the country.
(b) In the week ending 23 January, WFP distributed 285 tons of assorted food commodities to more than 23,000 beneficiaries. Of these over 18,700 were refugees benefiting from general distribution.
(c) Facing a shortage of 4,250 mt of food for the period January to June, WFP is forced to maintain the refugee general ration at 1,600 kilocalories until February, in order to avoid a complete pipeline break. Originally scheduled for December, the second delivery for all schools in the emergency school feeding (ESF) programme has been delayed until mid-February, due to lack of resources.
(d) The facilitated repatriation process resumed on 19 January. 293 Liberians from the Laine camp were repatriated, bringing the total to 1,682 since the beginning of the operation in November 2004. Only 40 refugees from the Kola camp have registered for repatriation. A total of 75,933 refugees are currently being assisted. Of these, some 4,000 are from Ivory Coast, 2,000 from Sierra Leone and the remainder from Liberia.
(e) A survey on the impact of the reduced ration on vulnerable groups was conducted in the camps in N’Zerekore. Some of the targeted people had developed means of support such as collection of firewood and fishing, while the most vulnerable persons appear highly dependant upon begging and gifts.
(f) WFP Guinea has produced a Logistics Capacity Assessment report on the country. This document provides a snapshot of all logistics aspects in Guinea (roads, railways, harbours, entry points, storage and transportation facilities, etc.).
(4) Liberia
(a) WFP operations in the Harper sub-office were again disrupted. The security situation deteriorated as over 500 stick-wielding youths invaded the town bringing violent demonstrations and civil disorder that resulted in damage to property including UNMIL/UNHCR vehicles and other UN agencies' and NGOs’ assets. A dusk to dawn curfew was imposed by the Liberian Government.
(b) In the week to 23 January, WFP Liberia distributed over 1,400 tons of food to some 156,500 beneficiaries: 78,900 persons received aid under general food distribution; 6,700 were facilitated returnees; 63,500 were pupils involved in the school feeding programme and 7,300 were beneficiaries under HIV/AIDS and nutrition interventions.
(c) In 2005 WFP’s Emergency School Feeding will provide food assistance to 460,000 school children; 10,000 girls take home rations in fulfilment of the WFP Enhancement Commitment to Women; and severe war-affected communities and rural schools.
(d) As of 20 January, 31,259 IDPs and Liberian refugees have been repatriated and reintegrated. This includes 4,879 Liberian returnees and 26,380 IDPs since the beginning of the exercise. During the week, 462 returning refugees arrived from neighbouring countries and 6,277 displaced persons took advantage of the ongoing resettlement process. The target is to resettle over 140,000 persons by May 2005. In addition, IOM, UNHCR and WFP continued the joint registration of IDPs for the return process, de-registering displaced persons and issuing IDP resettlement cards for a resettlement package of transportation support, food. One thousand IDPs on average are returning daily.
(e) Nearly 300,000 refugees, IDPs, and ex-combatants are expected to resettle in the interior parts of Liberia. WFP aims to help ease their burden through Food Support to Local Initiatives (FSLI) programmes. During the week, WFP Liberia met with FSLI cooperating partners to develop action plans and identified areas of partnership collaborations for 2005.
(f) Data collection for the Lofa Food Security and Nutrition Survey started on 24 January 2005 and will last 10-14 days. The survey will provide baseline data on food security, health and nutrition situation in the entire Lofa County to assist the planning and proper targeting of aid interventions and allow proper impact assessment in future. Various partners in nutrition and food security are involved including UNICEF, UNHCR, ACF, IMC, and Ministries of Planning and Health and Social Works. Nearly 200,000 refugees, IDPs, and ex-combatants are expected to resettle in Lofa, Liberia’s traditional agricultural backbone. However, the County experienced the severest impact of the long and protracted war that has left devastation of property and gross human rights abuses.
(g) Pipeline breaks are expected to be experienced from May onwards unless new contributions are received. To avert food shortfalls and make loan repayments including the BPR advance, USD 16 million is needed for WFP Liberia.
(h) WFP Liberia brought together 70 major stakeholder representatives in a workshop to maximize WFP’s support to an estimated 943,000 beneficiaries in 2005 and 835,000 persons in 2006. Participants included WFP cooperating partners, Liberian Government counterparts, donors, and UN agencies. The workshop familiarized participants with the WFP’s strategic objectives; partnership arrangements were clarified and action plan preparations were begun aimed at implementing the new PRRO.
(5) Mauritania
(a) Due to the onset of cold whether, the desert locust infestation has eased these past weeks. Recent reports claim that the prices for basic foodstuffs are rising because of the locust infestation and the lack of water has adversely affected the livelihoods of Mauritanians, the majority of whom rely on livestock and agriculture. Rising prices are forcing more and more families to sell valuable items and jewellery to buy food.
(b) WFP has launched an appeal for USD 30 million to cover the needs of PRRO 10359.0 over 2005. Unless the urgent needs are met for cereal (18980 tons), pulses (640 tons), vegetable oil (180 tons) and salt (120 tons), a pipeline break is forecast in April, the start of the lean season.
(E) Southern Africa: (1) Regional (2) Angola (3) Lesotho (4) Malawi (5) Mozambique (6) Namibia (7) Swaziland (8) Zambia (9) Zimbabwe
(1) Regional
(a) WFP urgently needs contributions to the regional PRRO 10310, "Assistance to Populations in Southern Africa Vulnerable to Food Insecurity and the Impact of AIDS". About USD 36.5 million has been received against USD 216 million required to provide 358,000 tons of food to 4.9 million families vulnerable to food insecurity and HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2005.
(2) Angola
(a) PRRO 10054.2, "Support to Return and Resettlement", still needs USD 50 million or 88,000 tons of food for distribution to returnees through 2005. About 4,500 returnees in Micanda and Massango municipalities of the northern Malange province will be cut off from food assistance in the coming months due to severe damage to roads and bridges by heavy rains. WFP is concerned that the roads and bridges will not withstand the weight of heavy trucks loaded with food supplies. On 14 December, the Government of Angola banned the entry of GM grain into the country without prior authorization from the Minister of Agriculture. The regulation requires that all imports of GM food aid in the form of grains or seeds must be milled immediately upon arrival in the country and before distribution to beneficiaries, in order to avoid the contamination of local varieties with transgenic ones.
(3) Lesotho
(a) From 19 to 25 January, WFP and its partners distributed some 800 tons of food to 65,000 vulnerable people. The number of beneficiaries is expected to increase during this hunger season until harvest in April.
(4) Malawi
(a) Floods that occurred in southern Malawi during late December 2004 and early January affected some 480 households and destroyed about 110 hectares of crops (maize, beans, tobacco, ground nuts, banana and cassava) at various stages of maturity. An estimated 670 tons in lost production was recorded. The agricultural department appealed for assistance to supply cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines to the affected area. WFP is already providing assistance to 390 households out of 410 in Chimombo under the Joint Emergency Food Aid Programme. More families are expected to register for food aid after the floods. WFP and its partners are assessing household food security needs in the affected region.
(b) The flooding damage compounded household food insecurity especially as the same region had an outbreak of armyworms in early January. In Rumphi, Chitipa and Karonga districts about 3,000 hectares of maize and rice fields were destroyed.
(5) Mozambique
(a) Heavy rains along the coast in northern Mozambique, particularly in Nampula province, destroyed houses and reportedly killed four people. The National Disaster Management Institute warned farmers in the flood-prone areas in the path of the rising Zambezi, Pungue and Licungo rivers to move to higher ground. The Zambezi is reported to have crossed the ‘5 metres’ flood-alert level in the central province of Sofala.
(6) Namibia
(a) According to the Government of Namibia Early Warning Unit the prospects of a good 2005 crop are generally unfavourable due to prevailing dry weather conditions since the planting time. Delayed and generally insufficient rains have characterized the first half of the 2004/05 rainfall season in most parts of the eastern Caprivi region.
(b) Anticipated floods from the Zambezi river, due to predicted heavy rains in Zambia and Angola could spell added crop losses. The Emergency Management Unit has also issued a warning to residents living along the Zambezi in north-eastern Caprivi to move to higher ground. In 2004, some 5,000 people were displaced and a further 15,000 affected by flooding in Namibia.
(c) WFP emergency operation EMOP 10334.0, "Targeted Food Assistance Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by Food Insecurity and Impact of HIV/AIDS", is providing about 30,000 orphans and vulnerable children with food rations instead of the planned 110,000, due to lack of resources. WFP also provided food rations to about 8,000 refugees under EMOP 10145.1, "Assistance to Angolan Refugees in Namibia". WFP plans to provide food rations to a monthly average of 5,000 refugees during repatriation from May through to December 2005. The programme will be handed over to UN High Commission for Refugees at the end of 2005 when refugee numbers are expected to have fallen to less than 5,000.
(7) Swaziland
(a) About 3,500 hectares of crops, mainly maize at tasselling stage, were destroyed by a hailstorm on 23 January, according to a preliminary assessment by the National Disaster Task Force (NDTF). About 15,500 people were affected in central Middleveld, southern Shiselweni regions and Lubombo Plateau in the east. Four people died. More than 10 schools were damaged and have been unable to re-open for the new year. It is estimated that 14,000 of the affected people in Manzini and Shiselweni urgently need food aid. NDTF is undertaking a more comprehensive assessment to determine the full extent of the damage.
(b) The dry conditions prevailing in the Lowveld seriously affected maize growth and condition. The Lowveld is the driest part of the country. Good rains received last week were too late to revive the crop in the Lowveld that was already grain filling. The crop at vegetative stage could recover, but not fully.
(8) Zambia
(a) Many households in the districts of Southern and Western provinces face a challenge of meeting minimum food needs. The household poverty levels are increasing due to recurrent drought, floods and high mortality rate of livestock due to disease. Although full rations resumed in January, after being reduced by 50 percent in October and November 2004, the pipeline is very precarious and further ration cuts may be necessary in March if further resources are not forthcoming.
(b) WFP’s PRRO 10071.1, "Food Assistance for Refugees from Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo", urgently requires USD 8 million to provide food to approximately 86,000 refugees through to December 2005.
(9) Zimbabwe
(a) Monitoring by WFP and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network indicate that the staple food, maize, is increasingly unavailable in most rural areas as the peak hunger season progresses. Maize prices on the parallel markets continue to rise, limiting the ability of households to buy enough food to meet their needs.
(b) The cost of living in urban areas has increased steadily over 2004, and the majority of urban households struggle to meet their basic expenditure requirements. The cost of food and non-food items increased by 92 percent from January to November 2004, and wages and salary increases have lagged. In November 2004, the industrial wage of Z$500,000 (USD 60) per month could cover only 31 percent of the November 2004 expenditure basket. Although annual inflation has fallen to 149.3 percent, Zimbabwe still retains among the highest levels of inflation in the world.
(F) Asia: (1) Regional: Asia Tsunami (2) Bangladesh (3) Indonesia (4) Korea (DPR) (5) Maldives (6) Myanmar (7) Sri Lanka (8) Thailand
(1) Regional: Asia Tsunami
(a) In the relief and recovery operation now underway in the area affected by the December 26, 2004, earthquake and subsequent tsunami, estimated total WFP beneficiaries, as at January 28, stands at 1.26 million persons, who have received in excess of 17,000 tons of food since the advent of the disaster. As a major player in the UN relief effort in the Indian Ocean region, WFP is appealing to governments for USD 256 million to feed one-and-a-half million people. WFP is still conducting Emergency Needs Assessments (ENA) in Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, with preliminary findings expected.
(b) The WFP’s Humanitarian Air Hub at Subang, Malaysia is increasing its airlift of relief supplies to Sumatra for other UN agencies. Eleven flights have left for Banda Aceh and Medan since 24 January, carrying medicines, medical supplies, water systems, shelters and vehicles for UNICEF, WHO and UNHCR as well as WFP.
(2) Bangladesh
(a) Distribution of food, suspended during EID (Eid-ul-Azha) holidays, has been re-established in two of the total six districts. Until now WFP has been distributing High Energy Biscuits (HEB) to over 600,000 primary school students in flood-affected areas. Needs for January are 230 tons of HEB. Due to the diversion of ship carrying rice destined for Bangladesh to Indonesia in order to feed Tsunami victims, Rural Livelihoods and Infrastructure Rehabilitation activities have been delayed. There is a strong need for resources to complete the activities, preferably before the arrival of the monsoon season.
(b) EMOP resourcing levels remain largely inadequate representing only about 38 percent of the total needs. Resources to support the Primary School Feeding Programme will only last until March 2005.
(3) Indonesia
(a) A top-level Indonesian delegation and exiled leaders from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will hold talks in Helsinki this week, mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. Indonesia’s Chief Security Minister Widodo Ati Sutjipto is expected to head a delegation including the Foreign Minister and Minister of Justice. This is the highest level delegation to participate in talks with GAM.
(b) Reports are coming in about the devastation in places like Simeulue Island, where WFP is providing food to some 18,300 beneficiaries. One WFP staff member said: "In some areas, rice paddy fields have completely disappeared. Thousands of trees were completely torn from the roots. One palm tree, which was miraculously still standing, was buried six meters in mud. Mud, debris and twisted iron are scattered over the landscape. The tarmac, which once covered the roads, has been completely lifted off the ground."
(c) The UN Joint Logistics Centre reports that the planned transferral from military to civil humanitarian logistics support, will increase the burden upon the road network and sea routes. Preliminary planning has been based on a figure of 750,000 IDPs requiring a total of 15,000 tons per month of relief aid supplies to be delivered via sea, land or air for 6 months. In general, the overall flow of humanitarian relief aid remains smooth. While some delays have been noted on particular routes (by land MEDAN - BANDA ACEH and bottlenecks at the ports of LHOKSEMEUWE, BELAWAN), the distribution of aid has continued uninterrupted.
(d) Food distributions have started in the villages of Lamno, Teunom and Calang in Aceh Jaya, one of the hardest-hit coastal stretches. WFP staff report that where there are no bridges, rafts are being used to carry in food and other commodities to isolated villages.
(e) WFP Medan has indications that IDPs living in camps in Medan have started to return to Banda Aceh. It has been reported that some 7,000 Indonesians of Chinese ethnicity, mostly from Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, fled to Medan for safety after the disaster. In the 27 January Food Aid Technical meeting, chaired by WFP Medan, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) addressed findings regarding IDP sites at the east coast. The organization recently distributed rice and noodles in IDP camps from Bireun to Sigli between Lhok Seumawe and Banda Aceh. There are approximately 250 - 300 families living in 60 IDP sites in this area.
(f) Schools re-opened 26 January in the city of Banda Aceh, where authorities believe it will take until 2009 to reconstruct the educational system. Over 765 school buildings throughout Aceh were severely damaged or washed away by the tsunami. The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior docked at a ferry station 25 kilometres east of Banda Aceh 27 January to pick up a cargo of WFP rice, biscuits and canned mackerel destined for survivors in the town of Lamno on the west coast of Aceh province.
(g) A market survey conducted in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar districts concluded that overall food prices have risen some 20% since the tsunami. Exceptions are rice, adequate supplies of which are available from non-tsunami affected areas of Aceh province, and fish, which people are avoiding for fear of post-tsunami contamination. Market surveys will be conducted on a weekly basis.
(h) WFP has provided more than 6,800 tons of food to an estimated 330,000 beneficiaries since the advent of the disaster. WFP Emergency Needs Assessment draft report should be issued next week.
(4) Korea (DPR)
(a) Two-thirds of the country’s 23.7 million people remain dependent on the government-run Public Distribution System (PDS). The PDS provides its mostly urbanised recipients with subsidised rations, which has been cut to 250 gms of cereals/person/day in January (the lowest rate since January 2001) and is likely to remain this low in February. This is enough to meet only half caloric needs and will have negative effects on the health of the population, since the market price of maize is ten times higher than the subsidized PDS price and rising. In January, maize prices at Pyongyang market increased by 20 percent. Rice prices rose by 40 percent.
(b) In total over 2005, WFP needs 500,000 tons of commodities, valued at USD 202 million, to assist 6.5 million hungry North Koreans.
(c) Under EMOP 10141.03, WFP this month is again able to feed all 6.5 million targeted beneficiaries with planned rations. Substantive new pledges will allow WFP to uphold this support through to May 2005, with the exception of oil and pulses which, due to delayed arrivals, have run out this month for beneficiaries on the west coast but are expected to arrive by January 30.
(d) After three consecutive cancellations of monitoring visits, operations have been suspended in Chagang Province, Sinchon County (South Hwanghae Province) and in one district in Pyongyang. This affects 8 counties and one district where WFP previously had access, reducing current access to 152 out of a total 203 counties/districts.
(e) Eighteen out of 19 Local Food Production factories operated during the week; the Huichon Cereal Milk Blend factory in Chagang Province is still not accessible due to the suspension of operations (see above). Production for the second week of January was 1,300 tons which represents 80 percent of EMOP weekly requirements. To sustain the production of biscuits and blended foods, new donations of milk powder are urgently needed. The current stock of Dried Skimmed Milk will be depleted by March 2005.
(5) Maldives
(a) Situation remains calm. WFP continues to meet with Government representatives. WFP’s Rapid Vulnerability Assessment report for the Maldives is complete and WFP will discuss the final report with Government officials on Sunday 30 January. The distribution of high energy biscuits continues via the Government’s National Security Services and is expected to be finalized by next week.
(b) On the first day of school this week, WFP launched a school feeding programme in cooperation with the Maldivian Ministry of Education. WFP plans to distribute 73 tons of fortified biscuits to 24,000 school children over a period of seven weeks, to help them concentrate while they are in the classroom.
(6) Myanmar
(a) From 17 to 21 January, WFP conducted a joint assessment mission consisting of WFP, WHO, UNICEF, FAO, UNFPA and UNDP to Tsunami affected areas in delta region of Ayeyawaddy Division. WFP plans to provide food commodities (rice, pulses and cooking oil) to 15,000 beneficiaries for six months. Food for Work activities consist of rehabilitation of dykes, village access roads and water ponds. WFP has distributed so far 70 tons of rice to the 6,000 people in both Ayeyawaddy Delta and Kawthoung through IFRC/ADRA and World Vision respectively.
(b) Under PRRO 10066.2, WFP this week started distribution in North Rakhine State (NRS) of 104 tons of rice and 7 tons of pulses as a take-home ration to 11,600 primary schoolchildren. This is the first time boys have been included in the school feeding programme in NRS. In addition 15 tons of food were distributed during the past fortnight for food for training and relief assistance to returnees.
(c) WFP food was stolen by gunmen on 20 January during the transportation by boat from Maungdaw warehouse. Twenty bags of rice (1 ton) and 13 bags of pulses (0.65 tons) valued at USD 560 were lost. Police were notified and are investigating. The transporter is responsible for compensation for the loss of the commodities.
(d) Under EMOP 10345.0, WFP distributed over 310 tons of rice to 17,300 beneficiaries in the last two weeks for Vulnerable Group Feeding, Food for Work and Food for Education.
(7) Sri Lanka
(a) One month after the tsunami, the humanitarian situation has stabilized - immediate humanitarian needs have generally been met in all sectors. The trend is that the emergency phase is over and the government has initiated efforts for a transition towards early recovery and rehabilitation. Various political stakeholders have voiced the need to ensure an equitable distribution of aid the south and the northeast.
(b) All WFP field offices now have access to email and have basic ICT equipment, with an exception of Mullaithivu and Jaffna in the north - a team is currently there undertaking an ICT assessment. Delays in the second delivery of 15-day rations have been experienced in some districts. This is in part due to poor road conditions from district to division storage facilities and bottlenecks encountered at local level.
(c) WFP, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization, conducted a food needs assessment that examined the impact of the tsunami disaster on various aspects of peoples lives, mainly focusing on their livelihoods and food security. Assessment results are still being discussed and analyzed further, but the following findings are being incorporated into WFP’s assistance.
(d) Number of beneficiaries for February is 845,000, an increase from the January figure of 750,000. This is likely to fall to about 650,000 in March and beyond, assuming that:
- that majority of the people who earned an income in sectors such as retail trade and tourism sector (roughly 170,000) will be able to sustain themselves by end of February if not before;
- that envisaged projects, ranging from micro-credit schemes, training, and repair of boats to larger public work schemes will enable some households to earn an income again by then; and
- that the harvest will end in early March; large amounts of food distributed in rice-producing areas such as Ampara and Batticaloa districts may have a negative impact on local markets.
(e) The assessment found that the hardest hit districts by the tsunami are Ampara and Batticaloa, accounting for 43 percent of all affected people.
(f) Food dispatches have been completed to all affected districts for the second 15-day distribution, planned to cover needs up to end January. Distributions have begun in most districts, but will not be completed by 31 January as earlier envisaged. Delays are due to transportation delays from district level to divisions and villages, and in some cases inadequate trucking capacity from the main Colombo warehouse to the districts. The WFP logistics team are working with the Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation (MRRR) to get this problem resolved; additional trucks which became available yesterday will ease this situation considerably.
(8) Thailand
(a) WFP is providing some support to the people of Thailand through a small Immediate Response EMOP, targeting people living in tsunami-impacted areas of Thailand’s southern provinces. In total, WFP plans to supplement school lunch programs for 8,000 students and provide food rations to 2,000 vulnerable families in the six provinces of Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Phuket, Satun and Trang. As well as canned fish and rice, WFP will also be providing vegetable oil for both programmes. Food dispatches began on 27 January, when almost 20 tons of local canned fish were unloaded in Satun and Trang provinces. Distributions of both canned fish and rice are planned for the next week in all six provinces.
(G) Latin America and Caribbean: (1) Guyana flood emergency (2) Bolivia (3) Colombia (4) Cuba (5) Ecuador (6) Guatemala (7) Haiti (8) Nicaragua
(1) Guyana flood emergency
(a) During the last three weeks heavy rains flooded the low parts of Guyana. Latest reports point at the Demerara/Mahaica region (Region Four) as being in the most need for food and non-food assistance. Some 32,000 people have been categorized as in need of immediate assistance, out of these, 10,000 people (2,000 families) are estimated to require immediate food assistance for a period of at least 30 days, particularly pregnant and lactating women and children under five.
(b) An IR-EMOP for an amount of USD 387,000 was approved on 27 January to provide 112 metric tons of food to assist 2,000 families (10,000 people) affected by the floods in the Demerara/Mahaica region.
(c) The Government expects the waters to recede in 30 days - provided the rain stops. Torrential rains are still reported in the affected areas and are expected to continue. The risk of major dams breaking, particularly in the surrounding areas of Georgetown, remains a matter of concern and could worsen the already serious situation.
(d) WFP, together with a team from UNDAC, has been on-site assessing the situation since 23 January and has been working with the Guyana Joint Operations Centre (JOC) and other relevant ministries to coordinate aid operations. WFP has made arrangements with the Civil Defence Commission, the IFRC and the National Red Cross to coordinate food distributions.
(e) The Government of Ecuador has made available a C-130 aircraft to airlift programmed assistance to the area. The first flight departed on 27 January 2005 carrying 12.5 metric tons of emergency pre-packed rations and essential non-food equipment as well as eight WFP staff members from the Regional Bureau and the Ecuador Country Office. Another C-130 flight is expected to depart for Guyana on the 28th with and additional 15 metric tons of food items.
(2) Bolivia
(a) Instability is affecting WFP operations, especially in the Department of Santa Cruz, where civic committees have been on strike since 19 January, paralyzing the city. Demonstrations included hunger strikes, the occupation of the regional office of the tax service and the blockade of the Viru Viru International Airport. Protesters are demanding regional autonomy and the reduction of fuel prices. On 21 January, a massive civil march in Santa Cruz peacefully occupied the regional Prefecture. The government sent police reinforcements to keep the situation under control. Meanwhile, civil marches were announced in La Paz, El Alto and Tarija in support of President Mesa.
(b) WFP resumed food distributions in El Chaco Region. Last week 25 tons of food were distributed in 2 municipalities.
(3) Colombia
(a) At least 435 people from the municipalities of Santa Ines and Planadas were forced to leave their homes due to clashes between illegal armed groups. Most have temporarily settled in the municipalities of Guamalito and La Trinidad and the cities of Ocaña and Cucuta. On 18 and 19 January, WFP Colombia visited these areas and concluded that most of the displaced persons have not received humanitarian assistance. WFP and the Social Solidarity Network will deliver emergency food aid to the displaced persons in the upcoming weeks.
(b) On 17 January, approximately 300 people (57 families) from the municipality of La Peñata (province of Cordoba), who left their homes 14 months ago due to clashes and threat from illegal armed groups, returned to their place of origin. These people received emergency food aid from the Colombian Government.
(c) The UN Special Advisor James LeMoyne, who since 2001 has tried to move Colombia toward a peace settlement, is set to leave his post in April. LeMoyne has been working with both sides in a "good offices mission" under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. More than 900 right-wing paramilitary fighters surrendered their weapons on 18 January. The 925 illegal rebels turned in their weapons to the government in the village of Santa Fe De Ralito (province of Cordoba). Colombian Government considers the demobilization of these illegal fighters crucial to ending the country's rebel conflict. Since November 2003 more than 3,800 AUC fighters have demobilized, and the entire force of 15,000 is expected to disarm by the end of this year.
(d) Some indigenous communities located on the banks of San Juan River, province of Choco, are facing a severe epidemic of flu. At least 75 people affected by the disease have arrived in the municipality of Andagoya seeking medical attention. According to local authorities, one person has already died. WFP has been providing emergency food aid and general food distributions to these indigenous communities as part of PRRO 10158.
(e) Under this PRRO, in the week ending 22 January, more than 330 tons of food was delivered to over 35,000 people across 13 provinces. These commodities were distributed in Food for Work/Food for Training Activities, Food for Crisis, Community Kitchens and Preschool feeding initiatives.
(4) Cuba
(a) The prevailing drought and the effects of the two hurricanes that hit Cuba last year have seriously affected agriculture and the lives of both agricultural workers and people living in cities. The extreme weather conditions have hampered the gradual increase in supply of vegetables and spices that had occurred since 1996. The consequences of the droughts and hurricanes have been most serious in the second half of 2004. Water supply for vegetable gardens has been exhausted; therefore, farmers prefer to plant vegetables that require less water such as tomatoes and egg plants. However, the schedule and rotation of crops is still inadequate resulting in an insufficient supply of vegetables at market. The situation is particularly difficult in the eastern part of the country where water reservoirs/dams are below 190 million cubic meters, the lowest in history.
(5) Ecuador
(a) Since 20 January, recurrent seismic activity in the Pacific coast is causing alarm amongst population even though no injuries have been reported. In the west of Manta, a total of 76 seismic events were registered. All events were of at least 4.0 in the Richter scale. On 24 January a quake of 6.0 in the Richter scale was felt in Manta, Portoviejo, Bahía, Salinas, Puerto Cayo, Guayaquil, and Quito. Closer to the epicentre, there are reports of collapsed and damaged houses in Puerto Lopez and landslides near Salango. Since 18 January, volcanic activity and gas and ash emissions from the Tungurahua Volcano have significantly increased, affecting the surrounding populated areas.
(6) Guatemala
(a) Frosts caused by a cold front resulted in losses of vegetable crops in Quetzaltenango. Local estimates indicate some 15,000 families have been affected.
(b) The school year started on 24 January. The government’s school feeding program will provide regular cash disbursements of 1 quetzal (approx. USD 0.13) per child per day to buy, prepare and distribute school rations. Additionally, the government will provide milk to 100,000 children in areas vulnerable to food insecurity. WFP's school feeding programme will complement the government’s contribution by providing CSB and milk to over 75,000 children in those municipalities with the highest chronic malnutrition rates.
(7) Haiti
(a) The entire country continues in UN security phase III. The security environment remains uncertain and volatile. Common crime and/or political violence continue to be reported in several areas of Port au Prince. Relatively less violence was reported in other areas of the country. However, insecurity continues to hamper humanitarian activities. In Port-au-Prince, security situation remains stable.
(b) Since the onset of the floods, total food distributed in the commune of Gonaïves and its outskirts is 4,250 tons while the total food distributed in other affected areas (Port de Paix, Chansolme, etc.) is 210 tons. Between January 19 and 25, over 350 tons of food was distributed by the WFP partner CARE to 6,725 flood victims in Gonaïves.
(c) WFP continues to move the food containers from the seaport of Port-au-Prince, hampered by delays due to a lack of proper handling equipment. Some 246 food containers remain at the port waiting to be cleared/moved. The total food stocks in the country are estimated at 9,158 tons of which 4,140 tons are in WFP warehouses and available for distribution while over 5,018 tons remain at the port.
(d) WFP Haiti is hosting a project design mission with members drawn from FAO/WFP Headquarters in Rome and the Regional Office. The mission will assist the Country Office to prepare a new project for the continuation of WFP activities.
(8) Nicaragua
(a) The early ending of this year’s coffee harvest has increased the unemployment and precarious situation of the coffee workers. This makes it more difficult for poor rural families to have access to the basic food basket. According to the coffee workers associations, hundreds of peasants have migrated to Costa Rica in order to have more sustainable jobs and better income. Press reports indicated that losses of the coffee producing sector amount to USD 10 million. WFP is monitoring the situation.
(b) Food commodities are already being pre-positioned to start distributions in February to vulnerable women and children, school boys and girls. Food for Work activities will resume in March 2005. PRRO 10212.0 will face shortfalls through June 2005, of rice (470 tons), beans (238 tons) and vegetable oil (112 tons). If no commodities are announced in the coming months or those that are announced arrive late, PRRO will face serious pipeline breaks during the second quarter of 2005.
Note: All tonnage figures in this report refer to metric tons
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