“ Food security exists when all people, at all times, have the physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. ”
Definition adopted by international consensus at the World Food Conference in Rome in 1996.
The global problem of hunger and food insecurity has been on the increase for several years, due to the CVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate change and growing inequalities, among other factors.
TSF believes that food security is essential to ensure a future where wealth is shared equitably. This is why we are working to improve access to healthy, high-quality and affordable food in the countries where we operate, where many people do not have enough to eat.
In the Congo, studies have shown that the nutritional situation is precarious in the north of the country, where many refugees flee conflicts in neighbouring countries. Food insecurity among refugees from the Central African Republic varied around 50.7%, rising to almost 53% for asylum seekers.
In Mali, the World Food Programme (WFP) assists a total of 2.8 million people through a range of activities, including the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, assistance to school canteens, strengthening nutritional education and building resilience in the face of shocks.
The WFP is a United Nations (UN) agency that helps 80 million people in nearly 80 countries by distributing food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve their nutritional status and strengthen their resilience.
The presence of food security programmes for these populations is essential. This year, TSF will implement two partnerships with the WFP, one in each country.
The first is in the Congo, where the focus is on two areas: the treatment and prevention of moderate acute malnutrition, and the distribution of food to vulnerable populations. The target population is children aged between 6 months and 5 years, as well as pregnant and breast-feeding women.
Through this project, we hope to contribute to improving the nutritional status of the above-mentioned population, by extending this aid to refugees and local populations. Awareness-raising and nutritional and health education will also be offered to accompany the food that will be distributed.
The main aim of this project is to meet the basic food needs and improve the dietary diversification and resilience of Central African refugees in the Likouala region.
For Mali, our partnership with the WFP is much more in the area of monitoring and evaluation than in distribution and awareness-raising.
We are responsible for ensuring a monitoring system to produce information on the performance of activities in an effective and efficient way to improve decision-making.
To complement this partnership, TSF has an integrated approach to accountability by continuously reviewing the assistance provided by WFP.
In more detail, our local team carries out direct observation with shops, traders, school canteens and monitors food prices, etc. A coordination team and mobile surveyors also collect data in the field.
A collaboration spanning several years
This is not the first time we have worked with this partner on the African continent.
Our team in Congo, which is mainly present in the north of the country, has developed expertise over the years in managing health and nutrition projects.
Since 2015, TSF has repeatedly worked with the WFP on programmes to support children aged 6 months to 5 years, pregnant and breastfeeding women, refugees and displaced people.
The populations we helped during these actions were often made up of people who were at greater risk of finding themselves in precarious food conditions.
In Mali, we have been carrying out food security activities with the WFP since 2021, in the Kidal region. This year, we have extended our partnership to Ménaka, a region in the north-east of the country where the presence of armed groups is causing a growing humanitarian crisis.
In all these years of experience, our actions have been as much planned in long-term programmes as reactions to emergency situations. Food baskets were distributed in Haiti after natural disasters and in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expertises to consider
TSF has in-depth knowledge of the humanitarian field and more than 35 years of field experience in conflict zones.
While this experience is an incredible asset when we need to deploy aid quickly in emergency situations, what sets us apart is our local team.
TSF’s approach is expressly to employ people from local communities. This enables us to develop better relationships with the communities we help. This means we can put down roots and engage local stakeholders more quickly, and reach a greater proportion of people.
And when we have the opportunity to seek additional expertise from Canadian professionals, our volunteer cooperation programme strengthens our actions on the ground.
TSF’s expertise in management, governance, humanitarian aid and distribution will be put to good use in these two partnerships. Our entire team benefits from this, since the experience acquired in one country transcends borders and is shared between all the countries where TFS works.
This year is an important one when it comes to food security. With the unpredictable weather we see every day, from droughts and record heat to floods and landslides, we need to be ready to provide aid to vulnerable populations.
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