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U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Food for Peace (FFP) provides grants for food assistance to private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and the UN World Food Program (WFP) under Title II of Public Law 480. In FY 2008, FFP provided more than 2.6 million metric tons of food, valued at more than $2.6 billion, benefiting people in 49 countries worldwide. FFP provides both emergency food aid (which aims to address food aid needs arising from natural disasters, such as floods or droughts, and complex emergencies often characterized by insecurity and population displacement) and non-emergency food aid (which aims to address the underlying causes of chronic food insecurity).
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FFP implements food security enhancing programs in the region through the direct distribution or the sale of food made available by the U.S. government. In FY 2008, FFP allocated 135,000 MT in Title II resources to West Africa , at a total cost of about $170 million. Overall, 70% of the tonnage was for emergencies and 30% were non-emergency commodities. The majority of these resources were provided to Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. About 1.5 million people were reached by Title II non-emergency assistance in FY 2008, the majority of whom were women.
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FFP Non-emergency Programs: Title II PVOs in West Africa use non-emergency food aid for direct distribution and the sale (monetization) of food, using local currency proceeds to implement development activities. Direct distribution can provide a safety net for the neediest through mother and child feeding activities. The proceeds from the sale of U.S food also contribute to improving rural infrastructure such as roads and small dams through Food for Work (FFW) activities and fund programs in the areas of agriculture, education, microfinance and nutrition. During FFP's FY 2006 strategy development process, the following six West African countries were selected as priority countries for Title II non-emergency programming: Burkina Faso , Chad , Liberia , Mauritania , Niger and Sierra Leone . Six other countries ( Benin , Cape Verde , Ghana , Guinea , Mali , and Senegal ) were dropped from the FFP list. In these countries, Title II non-emergency programs are being closed out, except for Mali where FFP has accepted new five-year development programs in FY 2008.
FFP Emergency Programs : FFP responds to natural and man-made emergencies that have had a negative impact on West Africans' food availability or access. In FY 2008, FFP provided over 90,000 metric tons of emergency resources to assist vulnerable people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic ,Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. FFP emergency food aid assistance is provided in all countries in the West African region as needed.
Selected FFP programs in West Africa
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Burkina Faso : The FFP program in Burkina Faso aims to increase crop productivity and household nutrition. It supports a primary school feeding program and a micro-finance activity targeting poor rural women. Food for work activities also provide a food security safety net for the most vulnerable people in selected communities. In FY 2008, Burkina Faso received $12.5 million in Title II food assistance, of which $10 million was non-emergency food aid. The non-emergency programs are implemented by Catholic Relief Services and Africare. The Africare Burkina Faso program was awarded the medal and title of "Chevalier de l'Ordre National" on December 9, 2008 -- on the occasion of Burkina's 48th independence celebration. This award was presented in recognition of the achievements of the second phase of the Title II program, which reached 104 villages in Zondoma Province, northern Burkina. The award was the highest ranking honor to be given by the Burkinabe government.
Niger: Currently, three Multi Year Assistance Programs (MYAPs) with an estimated total life-of-activity (LOA) value of about $71 million cover all regions of Niger with a complex combination of food security, nutrition, land management and maternal and child health activities. About 70% of non-emergency funds support activities relating to improving agricultural productivity and 30% to improving maternal and child health. The three lead PVOs for these MYAPs are: CRS (with CARE and Helen Keller International), Africare and Counterpart International. These three PVOs plan to assist over 500,000 Nigeriens over the next five years.
Mauritania : Ongoing Title II programs in Mauritania benefit children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating women, and persons with HIV/AIDS, as well as small farmers and pastoralists living in the agro-pastoral zone. Activities supported by Title II food aid include but are not limited to: supplementary feeding targeting vulnerable groups in moderate food insecurity; provision of water supply and essential nutrients; and establishment of micro-credit institutions and market gardens. In FY 2008, Mauritania received $16 million in Title II food assistance, of which $11 million was emergency food aid and $5 million was non-emergency funds.
Sierra Leone : The program is designed to support Sierra Leone 's recovery from the ten year civil war by focusing on restoring agricultural-based livelihoods and improving food security for rural households in vulnerable chiefdoms. The program currently reaches approximately 36,648 beneficiaries and is valued at $23 million over the LOA.
Selected Partners
Africare, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CARE, Counterpart International (CPI), USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), World Food Program (WFP).
Click on the following links for details on FFP's mission, procedures, and ongoing assistance efforts:
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/ffp/ http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/ffp/fy09_final_guidelines.html
If you need additional information or clarification, please email or contact FFP/Dakar via email at zsemunegus@usaid.gov or telephone at +221-33-869-6100 (Dakar, Senegal).
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