Key Activities
Ebola Response
In January, WFP supported the response to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak by providing food assistance to people in quarantined households and quarantine/treatment centres. Logistics support including transport of non-food items, engineering and IT was provided to partners for the establishment and running of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Tonkolili District. WFP continues to provide monthly food/cash assistance to Ebola orphans and survivors to ensure that the food and nutritional needs of these vulnerable groups are met.
Logistics
As the lead for the Support Services Pillar of the UN ‘No Regrets’ approach, WFP continues to provide logistics support coordinated from the Port Loko Main Logistics Hub (MLB) which has a storage capacity of over 19,000m3. In addition to providing storage of non-food items such as medical equipment for partners, WFP is developing a training centre to enhance rapid response capacities of government counterparts at the Office of National Security. UNHAS flights throughout the country provide quick transport of humanitarian equipment and personnel.
Supplementary Feeding
In partnership with the Ministry of Health & Sanitation, WFP is implementing a targeted supplementary feeding programme for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children age 6-59 months, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers. Over 43,000 beneficiaries are receiving support in 433 peripheral health units (PHUs) in five districts in the country.
Support to ART Clients
WFP continues to provide monthly food packages to malnourished clients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and their household members. Food assistance by prescription helps to improve the nutritional status of HIV+ beneficiaries while, at the same time, improving treatment adherence.
Supporting Farmers in Sierra Leone
WFP is working with more than 7,500 farmers across the country—about 50 percent of which are women—to increase agricultural productivity and access to markets. With the 2015 harvest coming to an end, WFP is preparing to commence purchases of locally grown commodities from small holder farmers.
Food Security
The data collection for the 2015 Comprehensive Food Security & Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) has been completed and preliminary results will be presented to stakeholders, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (MAFFS) and donors, on 4 February. The results of the CFSVA will be used to determine targeting for the new projects which will concentrate food assistance activities in the most vulnerable areas.