NUTRITION INTERVENTIONS

Impact of the Crisis on Nutrition Status

Pre-crisis, there were acute malnutrition levels of 9.3 percent, 23 percent stunting and a 22.3 percent prevalence of anemia amongst children under the age of five. During the ongoing crisis, the normal provision of public services has been fragmented and living conditions for IDP families been deteriorating, both which have caused increased vulnerability of children especially under the age of five. They are at increased risk of further deterioration in nutritional status due to a diminished access to nutritious foods and an increase in communicable diseases particularly in areas with poor public services. The 2016 Humanitarian Overview (HNO) reported a prevalence of 7.2 percent acute malnutrition and 22.3 percent stunting in children under five. Micro-nutrient deficiencies remain widespread and there is a prevalence of anaemia amongst more than 44 percent of women of reproductive age.

SYRIAAugust 2016

Nutrition Response

Nutrition specific interventions

Nutrition specific interventionsPrevention of acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficienciesTreatment of acute malnutrition

Nutrition sensitive interventionsNutrition component in General Food DistributionDietary Diversity for pregnant and lactating women through CBTFortified school snacks programme

Policy and Advocacy for Nutrition

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Prevention of Acute Malnutrition and Micronutrient Deficiencies

The programme was launched in Syria during March 2013, and in 2016 WFP targets 240,000 children 6-59 months old in order to prevent acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. WFP uses a preventative approach and distributes specialized nutritious products through blanket supplementary feeding for children 6-59 months to eligible families that are already assisted with WFP’s general food distribution.

Treatment of Acute Malnutrition

To address acute malnutrition in children 6–59 months and PLW, WFP in partnership with UNICEF and WHO and close coordination with MoH is implementing a Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme. WFP supports treatment of children with moderate acute malnutrition through provision of specialized Ready-to-use-Supplementary-Food (RUSF) Plumpy-Sup. The services including community outreach and awareness are provided with the assistance of government and NGO partners. UNICEF and WHO support the treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition. During 2016, WFP plans to reach 15,000 children and 8,000 PLW using the CMAM approach.

Dietary Diversity for Pregnant and Lactating Women through CBT

There is a high risk of malnutrition amongst pregnant and lactating women, as food prices have increased and the women may not have access to fresh food such as dairy, fruits and vegetables. The pregnant and lactating women may not receive adequate micronutrients needed for their health and that of their unborn or infant child.

To complement the general food distribution, and to address the critical needs of this vulnerable group, WFP launched a voucher-based support to improve the dietary diversity of vulnerable PLW in in July 2014. Eligible women receive two vouchers per month, which can be used to purchase only fresh food items (dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables) from designated super markets. At present the programme is implemented in Homs and Lattakia governorates, and the programme seeks to expand to 15,000 women during 2016. Monitoring data indicates a vastly improved dietary diversity.

Nutrition Components in GFD Rations

The food basket provided to beneficiaries under WFP’s general food distribution programme is designed in accordance with WFP’s global nutrition policy and contains various fortified commodities such as wheat flour fortified with a vitamin-mineral premix, iodized salt and vegetable oil fortified with Vitamin A and D.

Jakob Kern, WFP Syria Country Director, Damascus, Tel: +963 11 3390968 Fax: +963 11 3390965 E: wfp.damascus@wfp.org

WFP and UNFPA have partnered to provide enhanced services for pregnant and lactating women through UNFPA’s regular and mobile clinics. These include reproductive health sessions, provision of hygiene kits, referrals for antenatal and postnatal care, vaccinations and family planning. After the successful initiation of activities in Homs, the partnership is being extended to Lattakia.

Support to Local Production of Fortified Food Products

WFP is currently working with local manufacturers to facilitate production of fortified date bars to partially meet WFP’s requirements for the fortified school snacks programme. In the short run, this help support the local economy and increase employment opportunities while in the long run, it would help develop the national capacity for a future country wide school feeding initiative.

Fortified School Snacks Programme

Pre-primary and primary school children are provided with a daily fortified date bar during the morning sessions. The project aims to encourage enrolment and attendance, and is implemented in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF. The programme is currently operational in more than 400 schools, and WFP reached 315,000 school children in seven governorates during the 2015-2016 academic year. WFP is targeting 500,000 school children in 2016.

Policy and Advocacy for Nutrition

WFP is an active participant in a number of nutrition policy and technical for a including the nutrition sector composed of UN agencies and NGOs. WFP is also part of the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) steering committee and is providing support in assessing existing salt iodization capacity in country as well supporting the annual national IDD day event. WFP is also part of the Technical Working Group preparing the national guidelines for CMAM. In the current SMART survey, WFP is part of the National Technical Steering Committee providing support to the MoH. WFP is specifically supporting the analysis of food security information. The survey covering 11 governorates will provide much needed information on nutrition indicators.