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Burundi + 1 more

WFP Burundi Country Brief, June 2017

Attachments

Highlights

  • The ongoing socio-political crisis, displacements, disruption of livelihood activities, deterioration of the economy, high food prices, and climatic shocks than the 5-year average remain the key drivers of food insecurity in Burundi.

Operational Updates

  • With support of the Regional Bureau in Nairobi, the country office is preparing to pilot an integrated complaints and feedback mechanism (CFM) using helpdesks in the refugee camps, centralized WFP hotlines with a toll free number and the SUGAR ™ software to better manage complaints from refugees and feedback from WFP and other partners. A support mission was organized to review and build on the existing CFM in refugee camps.

  • According to FEWSNET, the prices of many staple foods have continued to significantly decrease since mid-May, with the initial harvest, resulting in increased household food access. The Ministry of Agriculture in Muyinga reports the price of beans has decreased from 1250 BIF/kg in mid-April to 700 BIG/kg at the end of May in Muyinga.

  • WFP is planning to provide food assistance to around 230,000 food insecure people in the areas identified by the recent integrated food security phase classification (IPC) as likely to be the most vulnerable to food insecurity during the upcoming lean period (September-November). These areas include: Cibitoke, Bubanza, Muyinga, and Kirundo Provinces. Of the 230,000 people targeted for emergency food assistance, 25,000 people are located in provinces hosting refugee camps, 6,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had been displaced by floods last year and 200,000 people classified as facing crisis (IPC 3) and emergency (IPC 4).

Impact of Limited Funding

  • Limited funding continues to negatively impact the implementation of the CP and PRRO activities. Since February 2017, WFP has reduced general distributions’ rations by 50 percent for food insecure households, in order to stretch available resources. The country office has also shifted the transfer modality from cash-based transfers to in-kind transfers for refugees.

-Given the poor resource situation affecting the refugee operation, WFP also has reduced general distribution rations by 9 percent and has removed SuperCereal from the general distributions, in order to stretch available resources. New contributions are required urgently to avert further reduction of resources.