CERF gives $5 million in underfunded grants to Nepal

In Nepal, an estimated 3.5 million people are facing food insecurity due to recurring droughts, floods and persistent poverty. The United Nations estimates that that the lack of food at the household level is an acute problem in most of the Mid-West and Far-West regions of the country where acute food shortages persist in 63 per cent of households.

Acute malnutrition is at a critical level affecting 385,000 children. According to 2011 survey reports, some 91,000 children under age 5 in Nepal are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Most of these children are not likely to survive, unless they are identified and treated in a timely and effective manner. In response the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) provided $4,997,385 in underfunded grants to five UN agencies to address the critical food and nutritional needs of the most vulnerable, food-insecure populations. Funds will also be used to prevent further deterioration of livelihoods and basic services for the most vulnerable populations.

A CERF grant of $2.2 million given to the World Food Programme (WFP) will ensure that 34,000 people have access to emergency food. A grant of $797,000 given to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will provide critical food security support to 15,000 rural households, or 70,000 people. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) received grants totalling $1.5 million to fund emergency nutrition, water and sanitation activities to benefit more than 100,000 people, including 18,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and 50,000 children affected by moderate acute malnutrition. A $297,000 grant to the World Health Organization (WHO) will support activities to develop community level capacity to intervene early and manage severe acute malnutrition and diarrhoea. Activities will include screening by female community health volunteers, referral for timely outpatient treatment of children affected by severe acute malnutrition without medical complications, timely inpatient treatment for people with medical complications, and promotion of the use of new Oral Rehydration Salts with zinc for children suffering from diarrhoea.

In addition, counselling on health seeking and clean hygiene behaviours will be provided to caregivers of children with severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition to enhance and sustain their recovery, and prevent further deterioration of their nutritional and health status. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN- Habitat) also received a grant of $211,00 to help improve water and sanitation facilities in disease and flood-prone districts. Funded activities will ensure safe water supply, sanitation facilities and hygiene counselling by health workers for vulnerable people.

Updated on 9 April 2012