MANAGEMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION RESPONSES IN EMERGENCY

MoUS RELEVANT TO FOOD/NUTRITION PROGRAMS

UNHCR/WFP:

Intervention mandates, needs assessment, registration, logistics, distribution, monitoring & reporting, coordination mechanisms.

UNHCR/WHO

: cooperation in coordinated contingency planning, development of joint methods for assessing health & nutrition situation, development of guidelines & training materials, development of applied research, & integration of beneficiary health care activities within national (host country) health services.

UNICEF /WFP

: needs assessment, monitoring, & evaluation of services in nutrition, health care, water, sanitation, child protection, & other social services. UNICEF provides therapeutic foods and nonfood items, emergency shelter, nutrition monitoring, & selective feeding operations.

WFP/FAO

: monitor food security & early warning possible food crises; assessment of food situations crises with long-term effects on production & supply; & provision of emergency & recovery needs .

SPHERE 2004 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION IN EMERGENCIES

Standards available for:

1. Food Security 2. General Nutrition Support & Correction of Malnutrition 3. Food Aid Planning & Management

Food Security Standards

General Food security:

access to adequate & appropriate food & non-food items to ensures survival, prevents erosion of assets and upholds their dignity.

Primary Production:

protected & supported.

Primary production mechanisms are

Income & employment:

Where IGAs & employment are feasible livelihood strategies, people have access to appropriate IGAs to generate income & contribute to food security without jeopardising resources on which livelihoods are based.

Access to markets:

Safe access to market goods & services is protected & promoted

General Nutrition Support and Correction of Malnutrition

•

All Groups:

Nutritional needs of the population are met.

•

At-risk groups:N

utrition & support needs of at-risk grps met •

Moderate malnutrition:

Moderate malnutrition is addressed •

Severe Malnutrition:

Severe malnutrition is addressed.

•

Micronutrient Malnutrition: D

eficiencies are addressed.

Food Aid Planning and Management Standards



Ration planning:

Rations for GFD meet food deficits.



Appropriateness & acceptability:

Food basket items are appropriate & acceptable to recipients & can be used efficiently at hh level.



Food quality & safety:

Food is of appropriate quality & safe for consumption.



Food Handling: S

torage, preparation & consumption are safe & appropriate at all levels.



Supply Chain Management:

Food aid resources managed, using transparent & responsive systems.



Targeting & Distribution

: F/distribution method is responsive, transparent, equitable & appropriate to local conditions

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT “the organization of capacities & resources to meet threats to the lives and well-being of refugees/IDP and other affected populations

Capacities: planning, staffing, structure, systems, procedures, guidelines, information flow, communication, decision-making & support)

Resources: availability of the right resources at the right time

Distinguishing features of management in emergency

•

The lives and well being of people are at stake;

•

Reaction time is short;

•

Risk factors are high & consequences of mistakes or delays can be disastrous;

•

There is great uncertainty;

•

Contingency planning &other preparedness activities are crucial;

•

Staff & managers may be stressed due to, e.g, security problems & harsh living conditions;

•

There is no single obvious right answer

.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS (CONTINGENCY PLANNING)

• • • • •

Steps in contingency planning: 1.

Hazard & risk analysis: list hazards/events that threaten food security and/or implementation of ongoing assistance operations.

2.

Contingency priontization: assess probability & likely outcome of each hazard & select those for which specific plans should be prepared (e.g. the most probable and the worst-case).

3. Scenario building: for each contingency, describe (use assumptions ) likely outcomes & situation that would be faced. 4.

Contingency plan preparation: define what agencies need to do to respond to each scenario and how the response would be organized (see elements) 5. Preparedness actions & updating the plan: take specific actions to enhance preparedness; review analysis & plan(s) regularly, & update when necessary.

Describing a scenario

Make specific planning assumptions: 

Location(s)/area(s) that are expected to be affected;



No.& characteristics of people expected to be affected;



Impact on production, markets & access, coping ways;



Likely depletion rate of household stocks;



Period during which assistance may be required;



Assistance actions expected from governments & others;



Availability and capacities of implementing partners;



Expected constraints on logistic/delivery systems;



Security situation and any constraints on movements.

Elements of contingency plan: For each scenario, define: Programme strategy: objectives, beneficiaries, types of intervention, rations & relief needs. Implementation arrangements for: immediate response, assessment, distribution, implementing partners, monitoring and reporting, & external coordination Sources of food: markets, WFP stocks, other agencies Logistic : transport routes, storage & special operations

Telecommunications systems Internal (WFP) management and arrangements for:

offices, staff, transport, training & security

Budget items

KEY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

Four (4) key functions required of relief agencies & individuals for successful management of emergencies

:

1. Leading, 2. Planning, 3. Organizing and coordinating; 4. Controlling

.

All important not only during emergency response, but also in the preparedness phase

1). Leading :

“Process of creating & communicating a vision for emergency operation, & providing a clear strategic direction for actions even in situations of great uncertainty and risk”.

 Someone must make decisions for implementation – the officer in charge (OIC) 2).

Planning :

“setting in place the process of assessing the situation, defining immediate objectives & longer term goals & activities to accomplish them”.

Planning must be based

on detailed needs & resources assessments.

3).

Organizing and Coordinating:

This is

“

establishing systems & mechanisms to achieve : objectives, & coordinating pple & organizations to work together, in a logical way, towards the common objective”.

It involves selecting, training & supervising staff, assigning & clarifying roles & responsibilities & structuring com.& info flow.

4).

Controlling :

This is “monitoring and evaluating performance in comparison with plans and initiating changes where necessary”.

MANAGEMENT IN FOOD AID AND SFPs

1.

Food habits & consumption

Staple food should be culturally acceptable & popn. know & can process & prepare the food . In SFP,

actual consumption

must be checked in order to: •Adapt theoretical calculation of food needs to actual needs •Compare consumption with # of beneficiaries to control cooking & losses of food

2). Food processing :

Flour preferred at f1st stages, or local milling capacity available (ration includes milling cost and losses, ~10 –20. This is not considered in most emergencies!.

3). Quality control and specifications

A system should be in place for quality control to ensure GFD ration is of good quality, safe for human consumption & meets required specifications.

4

). When Commodities are insufficient

These options may be adopted but beneficiaries must be kept fully informed: § -Give equal share to all beneficiaries (i.e. reduce rations); § others; - Give more to most vulnerable & small ration to § - Postpone distribution until enough food is available.

Short term Commodity Substitution

Blended food and beans 1 to 1 Sugar and oil Cereals and beans Cereals for oil

(Not oil for cereals)

2 to 1 2 to 1 3 to 1

Starting & phasing out Selective Feeding Programs Many guidelines exists!

'selective feeding (therapeutic and supplementary) is a low priority & should only be undertaken in a life-threatening emergency once, access to an adequate general ration have been established...' “SFPs are recommended for all vulnerable grps as a preventive measure when GFD rations are inadequate, but priority should be to restore an adequate food supply & that preventive SFPs should only be implemented for a short period of time.

Factors to consider as a guide in SFP:



Nutritional assessment (Anthropometry, crop harvest & nutritional decline in the community)



Access to own food sources (and seasonality)

•

Political and resource factors



Composition of food basket in GFD



GFD ration availability. SFPs not recommended if ration is inadequate due to:

•

Ration dilution because of sharing of food

•

GFD agencies may delay adequate ration, increasing error of inclusion

Registration of beneficiaries

includes:

Identification :

Bracelet #, name, age, sex

,

parents name, address/section of camp/village.

Health indicators :

Admission weight, height, W/H%, clinical signs of maln.(oedema, vitamin deficiencies, etc.), other medical remarks.

Attendance indicators:

Admission, present, absent, defaulter, discharged, death

Calculation of Beneficiaries

GFD

: Use formula for calculating food requirements

Ration (quantity)/person/day g) x Total beneficiaries x Days of planned distribution/1,000,000 = Total MT food required TFP:

Total = Total population <5years x % severe acute malnutrition

Targeted SFP

: Total = Total popn. <5 years x % moderate acute malnutrition

Blanket SFPs

: Depends on vulnerable groups being targeted

Calculation of facilities Max. capacity depends on

: staff levels & skills.

•

TFP

= 1 for every 60-100 malnourished children •

Wet SFP

= 1 for every 250 malnourished children • •

Dry SFP

= 150-200 benef./day of distribution (750 -1000 children/week)

Construction & location:

Should be near health facility using tents or local materials. There should also be adequate safe water supply within the location.

CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION & MANAGEMENT OF FOOD AID

•

Security

•

(Political) –Government clearance for areas controlled by rebel movements

•

Weather affecting accessibility of affected populations

•

Adequate capacity (planning, staffing, structure, systems,

procedures, guidelines, information flow, communication,

decision-making and administrative support)

•

Availability of the right resources at the right time.

•

Allocation of food aid for GFD Vs restoring livelihoods

and asset creation