Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods and Enhancing the Resilience of Chronically Vulnerable Populations

This operation has been modified as per budget revision 4 (see below)

Chronic food insecurity affects 2.5 million people in the Niger; millions more are affected by transitory food insecurity during lean seasons, leading to increased mortality among young children. Chronic malnutrition affects half of all children, and acute malnutrition rates reach the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold. 

Poor households increasingly rely on coping mechanisms that drain their resources, limit human capital development and reduce their capacity to cope with shocks; the most vulnerable take one to three years to recover from a crisis. Assistance over an extended period is needed to lift communities out of extreme poverty and enhance their resilience to shocks.

PRRO 200583, in accordance with the Strategic Plan (2014–2017), aims to save lives, protect livelihoods and enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities through food and cash transfer modalities. The aims are:

- Reduce the impact of seasonal stresses and prevent a peak in acute malnutrition and mortality, focusing on children under 2 as part of a safety net for households (Strategic Objective 1).

- Increase access to assets and food through land regeneration, water harvesting and local purchases (Strategic Objective 3).

- Support integrated safety nets: treat acute malnutrition in children aged 6–59 months and pregnant and lactating women, and implement community-based interventions to prevent malnutrition and improve access to and retention in education (Strategic Objective 4).

WFP has worked with the Government and other partners to provide an integrated, flexible assistance package for the targeted communities. Capacity development will be mainstreamed throughout the project with a view to maximizing sustainability, with support from the Government. Community-led responses implemented with partners will address seasonal needs.

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Budget revision 4 reduces the overall project plan through the eight remaining months of the operation (May–December 2016) and incorporates 57,500 Malian refugees previously served under Regional Emergency Operation 200438 (EMOP).