Three consecutive years of major natural disasters, including floods, mudslides, landslides and droughts, have devastated the livelihoods of more than 700,000 people Bolivia. The most critical impact has been on subsistence farmers and indigenous people, already food-insecure, whose crops were ravaged for two to three years in succession. In 2008, those already struggling to meet their daily food and nutrient needs had the additional shock of unprecedented food price increases.
This protracted relief and recovery operation (PRRO) has been designed with a participatory approach involving the affected families, the Government, United Nations agencies and cooperating partners. It responds to a specific government request to support recovery actions and is in line with relevant national social protection and recovery strategies, including the Plan to Eradicate the Extreme Poverty, the Zero Malnutrition National Programme and the National Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan 2008-2010.
In line with WFP’s Strategic Objectives 2, 3 and 4, the operation’s objectives are to:
The overall strategy includes a gradual hand-over to the Government’s social development programmes. The findings from the emergency food security assessment conducted in January 2009 provided the basis for the project design and geographical targeting. Data collected through this assessment also constitutes the baseline against which outcomes will be measured. The PRRO will be implemented in the Departments of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca.
The PRRO contributes to United Nations Millennium Development Goals 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7.
