Standard Project Report 2016 strategies, and align the food assistance response with Government priorities.
WFP worked directly with the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, to use existing government social safety nets as a targeting mechanism for assistance. The Ministry provided initial planning figures totaling 60,000 beneficiaries, with beneficiaries identified on the basis of their registration under the PBS and CPA and residential address in one of the 12 areas most affected by the cyclone, as prioritised by the Government. Shortly before the planned roll-out of CBT, the Government revised the operation’ s planning figures to include an additional 4,000 beneficiaries, and requested WFP to support an additional 8,000 elderly beneficiaries over the age of 68 who were registered in the SPS. The total number of beneficiaries was thus increased to 72,000 people. Targeted recipients included the elderly, disabled and chronically ill, as well as needy families with children living in the areas worst affected by the cyclone: Vanuabalavu, Koro, Lomaiviti Group, Taveuni, Savusavu, Bua, Nabouwalu, Tailevu, Ra, Rakiraki, Tavua, Ba, Lautoka and the Yasawas.
WFP funds supported the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation to top-up recipients’ regular monthly allowances with additional entitlements. In May and June, households registered in the PBS and CPA received complementary entitlements valued at FJD 150( USD 71) per month, in addition to their regular monthly allowances of FJD 150. Individuals registered in the SPS received a food voucher valued at FJD 50( USD 24) per month, in addition to their monthly FJD 50 cash grants. The transfer value was based on a nutritious food basket providing 2,100 calories per person per day. The top-up was channeled through existing transfer mechanisms, primarily electronic cards. Paper vouchers, available for collection at Post Offices and offices of the Department of Social Welfare, were issued for pensioners. For beneficiaries in remote areas where access to supermarkets was limited, bank transfers from Fiji’ s main financial service providers were used, and, in a few cases, direct cash distributions. The transfers were redeemable at selected retailers across the country or, in the case of cash benefits, at open markets in locations with limited availability of government-contracted outlets. At selected stores, recipients were given a predefined list of 130 nutritious food items to choose from in order to improve the nutritional value of the intervention.
In light of the extension of the State of Natural Disaster from an initial period of 30 days to 60 days; ongoing emergency food distributions led by the Government; the resumption of subsistence agriculture activities made possible by the provision of seeds and tools through the Food Security Cluster; and revisions to the targeting of the beneficiaries, the CBT distributions for this EMOP took place in May and June 2016 rather than April and May as initially planned.
As a result of these programme amendments, a budget revision and time frame extension from 30 June to 31 October were undertaken for this EMOP. The amendments to the EMOP also ensured the continuation of financial commitments related to capacity development activities, including the upgrade of the NDMO radio networks, communications room and the training of information and communications technology( ICT) staff in using new high frequency( HF) radio equipment.
To ensure the response did not exclude vulnerable households and individuals severely affected by the cyclone but who were not registered under the Government ' s social protection programmes, WFP worked in coordination with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency( ADRA), which monitored the implementation of the food assistance operation, and addressed identified exclusion errors under a separate food voucher response programme.
Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands( FJ) 12 Single Country EMOP- 200957