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Guinea-Bissau

WFP Guinea-Bissau Country Brief, November 2017

Attachments

Highlights

• WFP provided food assistance to 173,998 people through nutrition and school meals activities in November.

• In partnership with the Government of GuineaBissau, WFP supported celebration of the first National Day of Nutrition, held in Bissau on 18 November.

Operational Updates

• Between 13 and 17 November, WFP hosted a mission from a largest contributing partner, the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Programme, managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three USDA representatives joined the WFP Deputy Country Director and staff responsible for programme and supply chain on visits to McGovern-Dole supported schools in Biombo and Bafata regions. The group also visited the port and WFP warehouses in Bissau and Bafata.

• Supporting the Government, WFP organized celebration of Guinea-Bissau’s first National Day of Nutrition. In recognition of the day, an official ceremony was held at the Government’s Palácio do Governo on 18 November. The event was joined by ministers, regional and local authorities, journalists, nutrition specialists, and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General. This date marked an important milestone for promotion of healthy and balanced nutrition in communities, households and schools across the country. WFP was instrumental in encouraging the Government to declare the day.

• On 20 November, WFP signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of Japan to support Guinea-Bissau’s school meals programme and contribute to treatment of child malnutrition.
The donation includes canned fish from Japan (purchased in support of fishing communities affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake), and for the first time, provides cash to enable local purchase of food. The agreement also supports international purchase of specialised nutritious foods for treatment of child malnutrition that are not available in Guinea-Bissau.

• On 29 November, WFP launched a series of regional workshops in Bafata, Buba and Bula to discuss results from the October survey conducted by SiSSAN, Guinea-Bissau’s Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System. Surveys are conducted twice a year in all eight regions of the country (excluding the capital city of Bissau) to collect and analyse indicators. A national workshop is planned for 15 December.

• WFP finalized an assessment report on the impact of floods earlier this year on 53 communities in Bafata, Gabu and Oio regions. Production losses across 17,318 ha in the three regions reach 24,712 mt valued at over XOF 12 million. The report recommends adjustments in the crop calendar and farming practices. On 14 November, the Chinese Government donated rice valued at USD 2.3 million to assist Bissau-Guinean social organizations and farmers whose crops have been destroyed by floods and drought.