WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by project type | Page 46

Standard Project Report 2016
Country Resources and Results
Resources for Results
Development Project 200300 was fully funded in 2016. WFP procured all necessary food commodities, distributed
them on time, and carried out the necessary complimentary activities as required for an efficient implementation of
the school feeding programme. As agreed in the project document, the Royal Government of Bhutan continued to
contribute 50 percent of the total internal transport, storage and handling costs. The Government fully covered the
transportation costs for men and animals that carried food commodities from the extended delivery points to the
schools with no road connections.
In WFP-assisted schools, the Government continued to provide a third meal for all boarding students. In all
government-assisted boarding schools and the recently introduced "central schools", the non-perishable
commodities are centrally procured and distributed while fresh commodities for students are covered through a
cash-based stipend system, which is managed by the school feeding management committee of individual schools.
In all schools, the Government covers the salaries of cooks, electricity, and firewood for fuel.
In order to accomplish the capacity development goals on time, WFP recruited an international expert in the country
office to manage the activities planned for capacity development. The office has also benefited from technical
advice and guidance from WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
Achievements at Country Level
For more than four decades, WFP has supported the Royal Government of Bhutan's objective of implementing a
school feeding programme to improve rural children's access to education. In 2016, WFP continued to facilitate
government initiatives such as international collaboration on school feeding programmes, improvement in the
nutrition of school meals, and strengthening the management and capacity of the Ministry of Education.
WFP supported the participation of government officials in international forums on school feeding programmes and
regional trainings on health and nutrition. WFP also assisted the Government in receiving guidance and support
from the projects run by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who advocates for
school feeding programmes as a platform to improve the overall health and nutrition of schoolchildren.
The Government sought to reduce micronutrient deficiencies among school children as cases of beri-beri, caused
by vitamin B1 deficiency, increased. The Government requested WFP to provide support for the introduction of
fortified rice to the school feeding programme. In 2016, WFP completed all preparations so that in 2017, fortified rice
can be included in all WFP-assisted schools. The fortified rice has added vitamin A, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin
B3 (niacin), vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, iron and zinc.
The Government took steps to strengthen its organisational structure in the Ministry of Education by establishing a
School Health and Nutrition Division that brought together school feeding, school agriculture, and school health
programmes under one management. The strengthened linkages between programmes is expected to yield better
results for the nutrition and health of the school children. In 2017, WFP will support the ministry to pilot the one
management approach at the school-level.
WFP made two major achievements in the process of accomplishing its phase-out objectives. First, the Ministry of
Education agreed to take over the responsibility of managing the logistics of WFP food to be delivered and
distributed to the schools. The ministry agreed to continue using the services provided by Food Corporation of
Bhutan Limited on a per tonnage basis for payment. Second, the Ministry of Education took over the financial
oversight and coordination of the annual trainings for teachers and cooks involved in the school feeding programme.
The 2016 batch of trainees successfully completed these important trainings under the Ministry of Education, while
WFP acted as an observer.
The school feeding programme is being carried out in accordance with the project phase-out strategy. The Ministry
of Education took responsibility for feeding 3,000 school children in 2016, on track to be responsible for feeding all
school children by 2019.
Bhutan, Kingdom of (BT)
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Development Project - 200300