Standard Project Report 2016
malnutrition( MAM) in children aged 6 to 59 months through targeted supplementary feeding; ii) prevention of acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months and pregnant and lactating women( PLW) through blanket supplementary feeding; and iii) prevention of stunting among children aged 6 to 23 months and PLW through blanket supplementary feeding. The use of SNFs was encouraged and harmonised across intervention areas through the 2015 budget revision. The structural expansion of nutrition interventions into areas with high levels of stunting was limited due to the lack of cooperating partners in these areas, but could be conducted in the form of short-term assistance to flood-affected populations in areas with a high stunting prevalence. The lack of cooperating partners prevented WFP from significantly expanding the coverage of its existing nutrition interventions. The integration of nutrition interventions with complementary services, which focused on the underlying and basic causes of malnutrition— water, sanitation and disease— remained a challenge, despite intensive advocacy and coordination efforts at the highest level.
4. Urban food security and nutrition survey: WFP initiated an urban working group with various United Nations organizations and non-governmental organizations( NGOs) in Yangon. Results of surveys were shared between organizations through a workshop, and WFP and the Renewed Efforts against Child Hunger and Undernutrition( REACH) network jointly conducted a stakeholder mapping of actors on nutrition-specific and nutrition-related programmes in Yangon. However, the available data for urban Yangon were localised and scattered, which is why WFP subsequently initiated the process to conduct a larger urban food security and nutrition survey.
5. Scale-up the use of high-energy biscuits as the preferred school feeding modality: With the start of the 2015-2016 school year, take-home rations of rice were phased out and high-energy biscuits were adopted in all WFP-assisted schools as the preferred school feeding modality. WFP expanded the programme ' s coverage from 1,820 schools in 2015 to 3,293 schools in 2016, resulting in an increase in the number of assisted schoolchildren from 183,000 to 297,000 in the same period. While the distribution of high-energy biscuits was effective and efficient, boosted student motivation and reduced short-term hunger, it might not be a strong incentive for the poorest households to send their children to school. Parents and teachers voiced a preference for a hot meal to be provided as it was seen to be more nutritious and appropriate for local food customs. This view was reflected in the Government ' s ambition to introduce hot meals in schools and will be considered in WFP ' s long-term technical support for a national school feeding programme.
6. Closer collaboration with local authorities to improve local ownership of community assets: Asset creation activities were effectively targeted and involved a thorough consultation with participating communities on their needs, expectations, participation and contributions to the projects. However, WFP ' s interaction with the local authorities on those projects was limited to technical exchange and as-needed support. Given the Government ' s strategy on the public works programme and its roll-out, there is significant potential to have a broader impact in areas targeted through asset creation activities. Earmarked donor contributions remained a further obstacle to effective planning and engagement of cooperating partners. A consultation process on livelihood sector development in WFP operational areas is needed, involving the national authorities and donors, to ensure more flexible funding and more integrated support for transition strategies and recovery programmes.
7. Expanded results monitoring for asset creation activities to showcase the outcomes of the projects: In 2016, WFP introduced measures to strengthen outcome measurement and monitoring for its asset creation activities, and bring these in line with the latest WFP food assistance for assets( FFA) monitoring guidance. A module-based learning programme was developed for field monitors and engineers on extended outcome measurement and monitoring of asset creation activities, including a week-long training in November 2016. The third phase of the programme will include the development and testing of data collection tools to be used in regular assessments and enable robust evaluations of programme results.
In September 2016, an independent operation evaluation, commissioned by the WFP Office of Evaluation, was undertaken to examine the achievements of WFP programmes for the period of January 2013-September 2016 and to provide recommendations to inform the design of future operations.
Myanmar, Union of( MM) 13 Single Country PRRO- 200299