WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by project type | Page 218

Standard Project Report 2016
Another highlight in 2016 included WFP Sri Lanka forging a new partnership with the Department of Divineguma
Development, which runs the country's largest social safety net programme. For the first time in Sri Lanka, in the
aftermath of floods and landslides, relief assistance was provided by way of cash-based transfers through this
safety net system and bank networks. Given the subsequent lessons learned exercise and creation of standard
operating procedures, it is anticipated that this approach will provide a platform to develop the capacity of the
Divineguma national social safety net system to become a "shock-responsive" mechanism to assist disaster victims
in the future.
In addition to providing emergency assistance, WFP assisted the Government to establish it's own response system
for disaster preparedness. As such, WFP signed an agreement with the Ministry of Disaster Management to
strengthen the implementation of its national emergency preparedness plan (NEOP), and WFP's 72-hour
assessment methodology was adopted by the Government. Furthermore, the first phase of WFP's preparedness
simulation exercise (SIMEX) was conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Disaster Management. During 2016,
WFP also assisted the Government to establish the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) to consolidate geo-spatial data
under one server using the relevant international naming conventions and standards. The SDI contains data from
various sources at the global, regional (Asia), and national scales.
In order to provide sustainable nutritional support for vulnerable groups, WFP undertook efforts to improve
Thriposha, a locally produced fortified blended food (FBF) distributed through the country's nutritional social safety
net. The national treatment of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) programme using Thriposha has been in place
since 1973 and currently reaches on a monthly basis 1.1 million children aged 6-59 months affected by growth
faltering, MAM and/or underweight, as well as all pregnant and lactating women (PLW) regardless of their nutritional
status. In April 2016, Thriposha production was assessed in a study by a WFP food technologist to determine the
product's quality and production weaknesses. The findings were endorsed by the Ministry of Health, paving the way
towards the Government endorsing a comprehensive improvement plan for Thriposha, incluing a supply chain
assessment and behaviour change communication strategy. In addition, from January to June 2016, a Thriposha
efficacy study was carried out in collaboration with the Nutrition Coordination Division of the Ministry of Health,
which found that Thriposha could be more effective in increasing the weight of children if intra-household sharing
were minimised, and if there were no interruptions in the product pipeline.
Furthermore, in an effort to address micronutrient deficiencies among the population, WFP has been working with
the Ministry of Health to explore the potential for rice fortification in Sri Lanka. Given the complexity of undertaking
rice fortification, a landscape analysis was carried out in March 2016 and a pilot programme initiated to assess the
acceptability and feasibility of rice fortification in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya and the
government-appointed technical advisory group (TAG). WFP also equipped the National Food Promotion Board
(NFPB), under the Ministry of Agriculture, with USD 50,000 of equipment and technical capacity in order to mix
fortified kernels with rice to produce fortified rice for a pilot study to be undertaken in schools in 2017. Depending on
the outcome of this pilot, it is anticipated that NFPB will become the model facility for in-country rice fortification.
During 2016, WFP supported the Government to create a knowledge base on the national nutrition situation by
providing support to the Medical Research Institute (MRI) to conduct baseline nutrition surveys amongst primary
school children (aged 6-12 years) and PLW. WFP also supported the Ministry of Health to revamp its information
management system for nutrition surveillance. The new system was piloted in Nuwara Eliya and is currently being
rolled out across the country. WFP provided financial support to Save the Children to establish the Scaling Up
Nutrition (SUN) network civil society alliance in 2015 and 2016, which has over 250 members and has successfully
produced a civil society advocacy strategy and a review of the national nutrition policy 2010-2018.
WFP Sri Lanka implemented two pilot projects in Mannar and Moneragala districts, funded by the C-Adapt project,
to build the resilience of the targeted community. The community was supported to replant mangroves to
rehabilitate the coastal lines and ecosystem, and women from the community were provided with training on
livelihood skills. The project supported over 3,000 beneficiaries who directly benefited from the project.
In 2016, a gender analysis of WFP's activities was undertaken by an independent consultant. The recommendations
of the report were used to streamline gender-related activities within the overall programmatic approach of the
country office. Furthermore, the findings of the report supported the development of the country office's gender
action plan.
Annual Country Beneficiaries
Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of (LK)
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