WFP has been present in Benin since 1964, providing assistance to children enrolled in primary school, to orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV, and vulnerable populations affected by emergencies such as droughts, floods and the high food price crisis.
WFP is contributing to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1, 2 and 3 through its successive school feeding programmes together with its government counterparts. Through the establishment of school canteens, a daily hot meal is provided in order to increase the enrolment and attendance rates in targeted districts, increase the ratio of girls to boys enrolled in targeted public primary schools and reduce dropout rates. The overall operations under WFP’s subsequent school feeding projects are contributing to the development of the educational sector in Benin, which is still struggling to reach universal primary education by 2015. Within the new project, WFP emphasizes the importance of community ownership of the school canteens. The majority of food commodities will be purchased on the local market. Through the implementation of the Home Grown School Feeding model (HGSF), WFP Benin aims to contribute to the establishment of sustainable school canteens.
The current programme is being implemented in 22 districts in six departments, with priority given to six of the 22 districts showing a combination of high levels of food insecurity and school enrolment rates below 50 percent. The WFP-assisted activity supports 364 schools and provides school meals to 117,000 school children.
In addition, WFP Benin has been implementing an HIV and AIDS programme this year. This programme attempted to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on affected people by increasing adherence to Anti-Retroviral (ARV) treatment, improving nutritional status and strengthening food security at the household level. Food and nutrition assistance provides the extra nutritional support needed during Anti-Retroviral treatment and acts as an incentive to encourage adherence to it. A balanced and nutritious diet leads to improved health status and accelerates the return of people who are affected by HIV to an active and productive life. Beneficiaries under this programme received monthly family rations for up to five people for a period of six to nine months, depending on their health and nutritional status. Affected family members as well as orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) thus also benefitted from assistance through the project in order to alleviate the consequences of the pandemic.
Finally, in response to drastic flooding, WFP has been providing relief to affected vulnerable populations in the country. The initial emergency project focused on a life-saving, direct food aid intervention, while the longer-term response includes nutrition, cash transfer, and food-for-work activities. These activities aim to enhance local communities’ resiliency and improve the nutritional status of the most affected people.