Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Nepal

WFP Nepal Country Brief, August 2020

Attachments

In Numbers

2.8 million food-insecure people

1.4 million malnourished pregnant and lactating women

US$ 1.28 million, six-month (September 2020 - February 2021) net funding requirements

67,812 people reached in August 2020

Situational Updates

• Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, the Government of Nepal renewed a lockdown in several provinces across the country. Out of 48 districts with lockdowns, 35 have imposed lockdowns throughout their districts, including Kathmandu Valley, while 13 have imposed partial lockdown in specific areas. Domestic and international flights remain grounded, with only repatriation flights arriving at the international airport in Kathmandu. As of 31 August, Nepal’s tally of the virus stands at 39,460, up from 19,547 one month earlier.

Operational Updates

• The blanket supplementary feeding programme (BSFP) – a part of WFP’s COVID-19 response - continues in the four districts of Rautahat, Sarlahi, Siraha and Saptari of Province 2. The programme is implemented in close coordination with federal- and local-level governments. WFP has started preparing to expand the BSFP to additional locations. In August, WFP reached 18,269 beneficiaries, of which 11,117 were children 6 to 23 months.

• WFP, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and local governments, completed distribution of take-home rations (THR) consisting of rice, lentils and vegetable oil, to 153,801 students in seven food insecure districts of Karnali and Sudurpaschim. This measure was undertaken in lieu of school meals. A second round of THR distribution is planned for September.

• WFP has postponed capacity strengthening and community awareness activities and is instead focusing on income generating activities for households vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.
More than 1,800 households vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19 received immediate employment for an average of 32 days, benefitting more than 3,500 households.

• WFP resumed construction of a Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) depot and a provincial humanitarian staging area in August in Nepalgunj and Surkhet. The construction had been suspended for approximately two weeks due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

• Despite a prohibitory order in Jajarkot, WFP - in agreement with local authorities - successfully completed a general food distribution supporting nearly 800 households affected by the recent landslides. Support for an additional 1,200 households is currently being planned.

Challenges

• The increasing number of COVID-19 cases across the country has resulted in new restrictions in movement imposed by the Government. This will likely cause disruptions to WFP’s activities – some of which continue to be affected by the first lockdown.