SANAA, 29 July 2010 (IRIN) - Feeding over 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Yemen involves complex logistics and coordination.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) works with its implementing partners, such as NGOs Islamic Relief and Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA), to ensure fair distribution and maximum outreach to displaced families, including 60,000 children under five.
Its operations extend across Hajjah, al-Jawf, Saada, Sanaa and Amran governorates, GianCarlo Cirri, WFP representative in Yemen, told IRIN.
"The ration basket for IDPs consists of wheat grain or fortified wheat flour, pulses, fortified vegetable oil, sugar and salt," he said, adding that a blanket supplementary feeding programme - consisting of wheat-soya blend, fortified vegetable oil and sugar - is offered to children under five due to high levels of malnutrition.
Where is the food from?
Where the food is purchased depends on the kind of food commodity and prevailing international food prices. WFP also tries to procure locally when the prices are lower than international rates, which include the cost of shipping.
"For the most part, cereals and salt are procured locally in Yemen, while the rest of the commodities are procured regionally or internationally where the prices are lowest," Cirri said. "This allows us to buy more food with our funding."
He said WFP also receives in-kind contributions from certain donors, such as Saudi Arabia, which contributes dates every year.
WFP buys in bulk: Cereals, pulses, salt and sugar arrive pre-packaged in 50kg sacks.
How is food delivered?
The food sacks are delivered either to WFP's central warehouses in the capital, Sanaa, or directly to the field where they are stored in the agency's operational warehouses in Saada, Amran and Hajjah governorates, according to Samuel Clandon, WFP official in charge of Saada's food operation.
The agency contracts local hauliers to move food from warehouses to distribution points. Selecting the routes depends entirely on the military situation.
"To reach Saada, we have used a variety of routes, such as through al-Jawf in the east, the main Sanaa-Saada highway in the centre, or western Saada, to ensure that the food reaches the beneficiaries," Clandon said.
"WFP food aid monitors are present at the distribution points to ensure that the overall process is satisfactory, as well as to address any IDP queries or problems that may arise," Cirri said.
What are the challenges?
Funding shortfalls, insecurity and access are the main challenges reported by WFP staff and implementing partners.
From May 2010 onwards, the agency has had to halve rations to avoid an absolute break in assistance, Maria Santamarina, a WFP reports and advocacy official, told IRIN.
"This means beneficiaries are receiving only 1,050 kilocalories (kcal) rather than the minimum 2,100 kcal recommended for a healthy life," she said.
Access still presents a challenge, particularly in areas to the north and west of Saada town, as well as in Harf Sufyan District in Amran Governorate, according to Cirri.
"In recent weeks we have been able to reach Malaheeth in western Saada, which has been cut off from humanitarian assistance for 10 months," he said. "This is an extremely positive, however fragile, step forward."
Accessing al-Jawf Governorate, where the UN Refugee Agency says 17,794 IDPs are sheltering, is a major undertaking hampered by longstanding tribal insecurity, and the conflict between the army and Houthi rebels has made access much harder, Becky de Graaff, acting country director of ADRA in Yemen, told IRIN.
"An absence of government law requires skilful discretion, patience and an ability to always seek avenues towards relationships and mutual understanding, even in the midst of car-jackings and the usurping of items intended for a different population," she said.
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