World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

In Nalae district, in the far north of Laos, rice and Plumpy’Doz are loaded onto boats that will take them on the last part of a long journey. From the capital Vientiane, over winding mountain roads to the provincial capital of Luangnamtha, the food has already travelled hundreds of kilometers to reach the remote villages it is destined for.

Once the food has arrived, like here in Ban Mokchong, women line up to receive their rations. Under the WFP Mother and Child Health and Nutrition project, pregnant and breast-feeding women receive 10kg of rice if they visit a local health centre for a check-up and to deliver their babies. This incentive addresses the very low attendance rates at health facilities in the area.
 

In addition to the rice rations, children aged 6-23 months are supplied with Plumpy’Doz, a peanut-based paste used to prevent chronic malnutrition. After the women receive detailed instructions on how to use this specialized nutrition product to feed their children, the distribution can start. Here, a woman signs her personal ration card with a village health volunteer.

The specialized nutrition products help mothers guarantee their children receive all the nutrients they need when breastfeeding is reduced after the first six months. Through village health volunteers and with regular village visits, WFP carefully monitors who has received the food and when, and ensures the food is used in the right way.

In an area where chronic malnutrition rates are around 60 percent, both the health checks for pregnant women and the food rations for young children help ensure children get enough of the right food during the critical first 1000 days of their lives – from conception to two years of age. Here, women and their children proudly present their ration cards and food supplies after the distribution at Ban Mokchong health centre.

Seventeen year-old San and her nine month-old daughter Suvanan are attending the health centre for the first time. San says she wants Suvanan to be healthy and strong. Plumpy’Doz will help her reach this goal.

After receiving their health check, women return to their homes with rice for their families. Since the start of food distributions under the project, the amount of pregnant and breastfeeding women attending health facilities in Nalae district has more than doubled.