THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD

Published purpose

February 2014 - On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) made landfall in the Philippines, a densely populated country of 92 million people. The category five typhoon killed over 6,000 Filipinos, caused four million people to be displaced from their homes, and caused severe damage to infrastructure, including homes, roads, schools and health centres. Although many people have already received life-saving humanitarian assistance, significant humanitarian needs remain, including early recovery activities that contribute to building communities that are more resilient. With the support of DFATD and other donors, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is helping up to three million people affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines by providing emergency food assistance, cash, and support to improve people’s nutrition. Project activities include: (1) providing food assistance to specific vulnerable groups that do not have access to markets or income; (2) providing cash-for-work and food-for-work programs to clear debris thereby reviving markets and economies and giving people the opportunity to meet their basic needs; (3) providing community-based supplementary feeding programs and specialized food products (such as fortified blended foods or high-energy biscuits that improve people’s nutritional intake) to children aged 6 to 59 months, and pregnant and lactating women who are suffering from acute malnutrition; and (4) providing powder containing multiple life-saving micronutrients and fortified foods to children aged 6 to 59 months to help prevent under-nutrition and malnutrition.