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Guinea-Bissau

WFP Guinea-Bissau Country Brief, August 2018

Attachments

In Numbers

1,618 mt of food assistance distributed

US$ 8,409 cash-based transfers made

US$ 195,300 six months (October 2018-March 2019) net funding requirements, representing 1% of total

341 people assisted in August 2018

Operational Updates

• From 13 to 17 August, the WFP Guinea-Bissau team conducted follow-up visits to schools benefiting from the school meals programme. The visits determined stocks remaining at schools and reviewed with school directors and inspector/focal points plans to migrate data collection in schools from paper to smartphone-enabled digital technology, a change anticipated for introduction during the next school year. WFP also visited 20 health centres in Oio and Bafatá regions to provide local focal points with refresh training for correct handling of monthly reporting procedures.

• From 29 to 31 August, WFP received the Telecommunications Security Standards (TESS) assessment mission composed of Peter Casier, TESS Senior Programme Manager, and Moussa Sana,
Regional IT Officer, RB Dakar. The mission team met with Government communications authorities and the UN Country Team. The mission recommended:

(I) the use of mobile telephones as the primary security telecoms network; (ii) a single competitively tendered mobile telephone network contract for all UN staff; (iii) continued use of the existing analogue VHF network as the secondary (backup) security telecoms network in the operational areas of Bissau, Bafata, Buba, São Domingos and Bubaque;

(iv) the use of handheld satellite as second layer backup and for requirements outside of mobile phone/VHF range; and (v) strengthening of current standard operating procedures governing field mission and vehicle tracking. The mission recommended adoption of these changes by the UN Security Risk Management team.

• On 29 August, WFP received Port Logistics Officer Sten Frisch of the Danish Refugee Council to support supply chain coordination during the discharge of 2,300 mt of rice contributed for school meals by the U.S Government’s McGovern-Dole Food for Education Programme. Mr. Frisch will also train WFP staff on port management and port assessment.