Provision of supplementary food (RUSF  Super-Cereal) for the management of moderate acute malnutrition in children under five and pregnant and lactating women in 9 HRP provinces and IDP settlements Acute malnutrition is a significant public health problem in Afghanistan. Ongoing conflict, low access to basic services, and the impact of natural disasters and displacement have exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of communities and resulted to very high rates of acute malnutrition. Based on recent nutrition surveys, two-third of the provinces of the country are currently above the emergency level threshold of acute malnutrition based on WHO classification of wasting rates for children under the age of five (global acute malnutrition - GAM ≥10 per cent with aggravating factors). Currently WFP is supporting targeted supplementary feeding/OPD-MAM for treatment of moderate acute malnourished children and PLW in all 22 HRP prioritized provinces. However, due to insufficient resources, a lot of malnourished children and PLW are left with no treatment support. The funding from AHF 4th reserve allocation will enable WFP to increase the OPD-MAM (TSFP) coverage in the 9 HRP provinces and IDP settlements with the lowest coverage (Badakhshan, Ghazni, Ghor, Kandahar, Khost, Paktiak, Pakya, Parwan, Wardak provinces and Badghis, Herat, Takhar IDP settlements) and reach more MAM children and PLW.

WFP’s Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programmes (TSFPs) – or Outpatient Department of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (OPD-MAM) is an integral component of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM). The TSFPs (OPD-MAM) are integrated with UNICEF’s supported Outpatient and Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Programmes (OPD-SAM, IPD-SAM), whenever and wherever possible, with linkages from the community to health facilities, ensuring that acute malnourished children and PLW can be identified early and treated in their homes using specialized nutritious foods. WFP’s TSFPs (OPD-MAM) maximize the impact of IMAM by treating children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) before they become severely malnourished and malnourished pregnant amp lactating women thereby significantly reducing the burden on SAM treatment and health system in general. 

TSFP is implemented in partnership with national and international NGO Cooperating Partners who are delivering the Basic Package of Health Service. This proposal specifically focusing on the procurement of specialized nutritious foods (SNFs) for treatment of moderate acute malnourished children and PLW (Pregnant and Lactating Women amp Girls) in the prioritized provinces. 
Currently WFP has limited stock of RUSF (Ready to Use Supplementary Food) and Supercereal (WSB+) which can cover only one month to one and half month’s requirement for treatment of MAM children and malnourished pregnant amp lactating women. Therefore, the procured quantity of SNFs under this grant will top up on the existing stocks to address the gap. 

With this funding, WFP will be able to cover needs for RUSF for treatment of 31,111 malnourished children in 9 high priority provinces for 3 months (Jan-Mar 2020). The same funding will also cover the needs for the treatment of 10,720 malnourished PLW in the same priority provinces for 5 months (Feb-Jun 2020). This will enable a steady pipeline in these critical locations as WFP continues with resource mobilization for the other HRP priority locations” While a pipeline break will be experienced in January for Super cereal, the existing stock for RUSF will be spread to these 9-priority location to cover needs up to March 2020.

As soon as the funding proposal is approved, WFP will take advantage of its Global Commodity Management facility for advance financing and express commodity procurement to ensure reduced lead time to get the commodities into the country.
Additionally, in the event of unanticipated delays in deliveries, WFP may consider prioritizing the existing stocks in locations with the highest burden of malnutrition within the prioritized provinces in order to avoid interruption of service delivery where it is most needed.