Micronutrient deficiencies affect a third of the world’s population. In Central America, they pose serious challenges to human and economic development; in particular, they place young children at risk.
To address the problem of insufficient access to culturally and nutritionally appropriate fortified foods for children aged 6–36 months, WFP will act as a catalyst in support of seven countries in the region.
WFP will bring together governments, the private sector and other actors to improve formulas, production modalities and distribution mechanisms for fortified complementary foods for young children.The project will also work to expand awareness of the importance of tackling micronutrient deficiencies in young children.
The project will work through collaborative efforts to reduce the cost of complementary foods and increase their nutritional value, taking into consideration cultural appropriateness.
The project will also identify best practices, support formulation of policy and legislation, and advocate for greater financial commitment to reduce micronutrient malnutrition in young children.
Countries
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America: of its 9.5 million population, two thirds overall – 80 percent in rural areas – live below the poverty line.
Over the last ten years, stunting in children under 5 has remained at 27 percent nationally and 37 percent in rural areas, exceeding 40 percent in the most food-insecure municipa...
The humanitarian crisis facing Colombia after more than 40 years of conflict makes it one of the countries with the highest rates of internally displaced people (IDP) in the world.
It is estimated that, to date, the accumulated number of Colombians who have been forced to abandon their areas to relocate in the marginal areas of many towns and cities may t...
Cuba, with a population of a little over 11 million people, imports about 80% of its domestic food requirements....
Ecuador, located in South America, has a population of 13 million inhabitants. Although an oil exporter, it is still one of the poorest countries in the region....
El Salvador with its 5.7 million inhabitants (in addition over 2 million residing abroad) is a middle income country with profound inequalities in distribution of wealth (GINI: 0.52) and persisting profound levels of poverty.
The food and nutritional security situation is of concern with an estimated 16.3 percent of rural families not having sufficient ea...
In Guatemala, the face of poverty and hunger is young, indigenous and rural....
WFP has been present in Haiti since 1969.
At the end of 2008, Haiti ranked 148th of 179 countries on the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index; 76 percent of Haitians live on less than US$2 per day and 56 percent on less than US$1 per day.
Haiti remains a food deficit country....
Honduras, a Central American nation with low income and food deficit, is the third poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean....
With a per capita National Gross Income (NGI) of 980 dollars, Nicaragua is the second poorest nation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recurring natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, drought, swells, and volcanic eruptions) have also destroyed the country’s economic base and caused great human loss.
The incidence of poverty is highest among rur...
Approximately 53 percent of the Peruvian population lives below the national poverty line, and 25 percent lives in extreme poverty....
