evaluation of general food distribution in northern uganda: gulu ...

4 PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO FOOD - THE GFD PROJECT4.1 GFD Project ObjectivesNRC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 29 with WFP as a cooperatingpartner to the General Food Distribution (GFD) Programme in Northern Uganda. With thisMoU NRC commits itself to distribute WFP’s food aid to Gulu, Amuru and Kitgum Districts ona monthly basis. NRC has defined more specific objectives of the GFD project in NorthernUganda 30 :1. To contribute to household food security and maintain the minimum nutritional anddietary standard by providing food assistance to people affected by displacement incamps in Gulu, Amuru and Kitgum districts.2. To protect lives by providing humanitarian food assistance to IDPs to meet the assessedaverage net food gap.3. To safeguard the fundamental right to food for targeted IDPs with special emphasis onwomen and children, EVIs, and the long-term effect of insufficient access to food.The outputs, to be achieved are concrete and quantifiable: increased access to food to theIDPs in Kitgum, Gulu and Amuru and the percentage of the average assessed net food gapmet by IDPs 31 .Box 2: The success indicators from NRC’s logical framework 06/07 32 :♦ Reduction in the number of malnourished IDPs receiving food aid to less than 10%♦ The correct number of people receives regular food assistance and the correct quantity of food.♦ Increased level of participation from the IDP themselves in food distribution♦ Reduction in the incidences of death due to hunger♦ Prevalence of acute malnutrition among IDPs and children under 5 to be under 5%♦ Crude mortality and morbidity rates at acceptable level among IDPs (i.e. < 1:10.000 per day)♦ % of children < 5 years who are malnourished to be less than 10% without aggravating factors4.2 Alignment to NRC’s PoliciesTaking a rights based approach to food aid, NRC’s Core Activity Policy Document onEmergency Food Security and Distribution states 33 its overall objective as follows: ”… topromote and protect the right to food 34 to refugees and internally displaced persons”. Rootedin the UN charter for social and economic rights, the more specific objectives of this overallNRC food aid policy are:- to fulfil the immediate food needs of refugees and IDPs and maintain their adequatenutritional status in emergency situations,- to promote self reliance, and support durable solutions as soon as the context allows;- to contribute to food security, livelihoods and recovery in various phases of displacementand;- to promote education, alleviate short-term hunger and improve cognitive learning.29 NRC-WFP Annual Memorandum of Understanding30From NRC Project Proposal budget year 2006/0731From NRC Project Proposal budget year 2006/0732From NRC Project Proposal, budget year 2006/0733Finalised in April 200834 In accordance with the UN charter on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - that the right to adequate food is realised whenevery man, woman and child, alone or in community with others has physical and economic access at all times to adequatefood or means for its procurement.15