World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

WFP Tanzania reaches 2.6 million beneficiaries in chronically food-insecure regions through its Food for Education, Nutrition, Food for Assets, and Refugee Support activities.

Through its Food for Education programme, WFP currently provides two school meals a day to some 540,000 primary school children in 1,167 schools in 16 drought-prone and food-insecure districts. The promise of at least one nutritious meal each day is known to boost attendance and improves students’ concentration levels. WFP also supports the construction of rain water harvesting tanks, helping schools access water for cooking and hygiene. Increasing emphasis is being placed on supporting the development of community-led school meals initiatives.

To improve the nutritional status of vulnerable women and children, WFP provides a monthly take-home ration to moderately malnourished children, as well as pregnant and nursing women as part of regular mother-and-child services. To address high stunting rates, WFP provides blanket food assistance to pregnant and nursing women, and children aged 6-24 months, attending selected health facilities under WFP’s Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition programme. WFP also provides technical support to the Govenment for the National Nutritional Surveillance System. Activities are carried out in support of the National Nutrition Strategy (2009-2015).

Through Food-for-Assets, WFP implements projects to encourage low-income, food-insecure households to participate in activities that contribute to their long-term food security. WFP gives community members food in exchange for work on infrastucture projects such as irrigation, terracing, soil and water conservation. Paying workers with food allows them to start working their way out of the hunger trap.

Additionally, WFP is working to connect farmers to agricultural markets through its Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative, and assisting them in becoming competitive players in the market place. WFP buys directly from farmer groups through a tendering process and also engages in training and warehouse rehabilitation to help farmers reduce post-harvest losses.

Since the early 1990s, Tanzania has been hosting refugees fleeing civil unrest and ethnic conflict in neighbouring countries. Through its Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation, WFP is providing support to up to 100,000 refugees currently living in north-western Tanzania through general food distributions and supplementary feeding programmes.

WFP actively participates in new initiatives such as ‘One UN’ which was launched in 2007 to enable UN agencies deliver in a more coordinated and efficient way at country level. Tanzania was chosen as one of eight pilot countries and has made several efforts to enhance the process, including taking the lead on communications-related activities.

WFP provides logistical support services to WFP operations in neighbouring countries. Dar es Salaam port is a vital transit hub, not only for Tanzania itself but for much of East & Central Africa.

 All images Copyright: WFP/Jen Kunz