WFP notes improvement in nutritional situation

The nutritional situation in many Burundian provinces has improved, WFP said in its latest weekly emergency update. Many Supplementary Feeding Centres (SFCs) and Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFCs) were closed, it noted. “There is a belief that this improvement is a result of food assistance provided by WFP in northern and central provinces during the hunger gap period, combined with nutritional projects and good harvest,” the agency said. From 4-17 June, WFP assisted some 251,770 drought affected people in the central province of Karuzi and 12,935 people fleeing insecurity in Gitega. The total quantity of food distributed under the targeted distributions, in collaboration with the NGO, CARE, amounted to 1,478 tons, the agency said. Some 12,373 school children have also been assisted under the school feeding pilot project in Kirundo province, which is currently being evaluated, it said. WFP is continuing to support some 8,978 vulnerable people who were provided with 98 tons of food through selective feeding programmes.

Meanwhile, WFP carried out a rapid food economy assessment in 11 provinces, to plan WFP activities under a new operational strategy document covering the period June-December. In collaboration with CARE, World Vision (WVI), Save the Children Fund (SCF) and other partners, WFP created a monitoring and targeting task force.