Bhutan
Contents
Foreword
Preface
WFP in Bhutan
Enrollment
11
Nutrition
12
Financial Benefit
13
13
Capacity Development
14
18
20
21
Government Collaboration
23
24
Donor Contributions
25
Implementing Partners
27
Challenges Ahead
29
30
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the
Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the
People's Republic of China.
Bhutan's economy is based on agriculture, forestry, tourism and the sale of hydroelectric power to
India. Agriculture provides the main livelihood for
Bhutan in a nutshell
more than 80 percent of the population. Agrarian
Area: 38,395 sq. km
practices consist largely of subsistence farming
and animal husbandry.
Population: 695,823 (2010)
The countrys development philosophy stresses
Population below the poverty line: 23% (2007)
the achievement of equitable and sustainable
development (Gross National Happiness) over
Countrys Nutritional Status (2009):
economic growth.
o Underweight 11.1%
o Stunting 37%
o Wasting 4.6%
National Literacy Rate: 60%
WFP in Bhutan
WFP in Bhutan
WFP in Bhutan
Support for School Agricultural Programme and fuel-efficient stoves are also provided. Furthermore,
WFP provides capacity-building activities to government counterparts to strengthen their ability to
take over the School Feeding Programme.
The difficult mountain terrain, erratic weather conditions, limited communications and highly
scattered settlements impede access to schools. The education sector strategy notes that the biggest
challenge to providing universal basic education in Bhutan lies in enrolling and retaining those
children from poor and food-insecure families of remote communities. Particular attention is also
given to reducing gender disparity in education, in line with the Millennium Development Goal of
gender equality. The Government envisages Education for All by 2015. To achieve this, school
infrastructure has to be expanded not only to allow for increased enrollment rates but also to
accommodate the growing number of school-age children resulting from the current population
growth.
Through the School Feeding Programme WFP
assists the government to increase enrollment,
encourage gender balance, improve students
capacity to concentrate and reduce drop-out rates.
WFP provided breakfast and lunch to some 36,000
students in 221 schools in 2010. Resources for a
third meal (dinner) in boarding schools were
provided by the government. All children attending
boarding schools received WFP food for 292 days;
while day students received food for 242 days.
Students receiving WFP meals per school category in 2010
Beneficiary Group
Female
Male
Total
Students receiving WFP meal in classes PP - 6
(Primary/Community Primary)
Students receiving WFP meal in classes 7 & 8
(Lower Secondary)
TOTAL
Gender
ratio
13,192
13,531
26,723
0.97
4,278
4,407
8,685
0.97
17,938
35,408
0.97
17,470
Enrollment
School feeding has been the major WFP activity since the start of the WFP assistance to the Royal
Government of Bhutan (RGOB) with an increase in enrollment and attendance as main goals. The net
primary enrollment rate increased the last ten years from an estimated 53 % in 1998 to an impressive
93 % in 2010, while attendance rates have also been above 90%. Drop out rates nationwide between
pre-primary to grade 10 remained under 5%: 2010s drop-out rate was 1.7%.
These quantitative achievements are
WFP beneficiary 2005 - 2010
matched by qualitative improvements
45,000
in education that are enhanced
40,000
through
the
School
Feeding
35,000
Programme. By relieving short-term
30,000
hunger, students are able to better
No. of 25,000
students 20,000
concentrate on their studies and
achieve higher levels of education.
15,000
10,000
Without School Feeding the majority
5,000
of children from the poorest families
0
would not attend school, particularly
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
in the case of boarders.
Year
Female
Male
Total
10
Nutrition
Nutritional and health status are powerful influences on a childs learning and on how well a child
performs in school. Weak health and poor nutrition among school-age children diminish their
cognitive development either through
WFP food ration
physiological changes or by reducing their
Grams per
ability
to
participate
in
learning
Meal
Commodity
child per meal
experiences or both.
Rice
125
Breakfast
Chickpeas (Chana)
20
All WFP beneficiaries at the school
Oil
10
receives two meals a day consisting of rice,
Rice
150
chickpeas and oil for breakfast and rice,
Lunch
Yellow Split Peas (Dal)
20
pulses and vegetable oil for lunch. Maize
Oil
10
grits were part of the lunch menu till June
2010, however due to quality problems it was replaced with rice. This provides the students with up to
54% of the recommended daily calorie intake and up to 51% of the recommended daily protein intake.
This is supplemented by fresh vegetables and iodized salt
managed through cash stipends provided by the government
in boarding schools and contributions from parents in day
schools. Schools are also engaged in vegetable cultivation in
which WFP assists with seeds and farming implements. The
produce of school gardens, especially green vegetables,
supplements the WFP food items.
11
WFPs current assistance is focused on school feeding and the gradual handing over of the project to
the government.
WFP continues to help develop the capacity of the Government to assume increased responsibility for
school feeding and its management. MoE staff and District Education Officers are being provided
with training on planning, monitoring and reporting systems. WFP in-charges at the schools are
provided with training on school feeding management, nutrition and reporting. School cooks are
provided with training on personal hygiene, nutrition and food preparation. WFP also provided IT
equipments to MoE and Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB).
In the areas of supply chain management, WFP provided a number of capacity building activities for
its national logistics partner FCB by conducting warehouse and stock management training to its
staff, renovation and maintenance of warehouses and transit stores.
12
Capacity Development
Capacity Development
Capacity Development
Training of Focal Agriculture Teachers from selected schools on nutritional values on different green
vegetables and gardening was also conducted as part of WFPs support to the School Agriculture
Programme.
17 schools
11
37 schools
60 schools
17 staffs
The Royal Government of Bhutan continues to take the responsibility of higher classes from WFPs
School Feeding programme. Since 2008, the government has taken up the feeding of students from
grades 11 and 12. In 2010, the feeding of students in grades 9 and 10 has also been taken over by the
government under its cash stipend system.
Advisors from the Office of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
Delegates from the Office of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, along with H.E. Royal Thai
Ambassador to Bangladesh and Bhutan visited Bhutan to observe and provide technical briefing on the
School Agriculture Programme (SAP) carried out jointly by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of
Agriculture and Forests. Upon visiting five project sites in central and western Bhutan, the team was
impressed by the successful implementation of SAP in all these schools.
13
Category I
First Prize
Winner
Art by Tshering
Norbu
Category II
First Prize Winner
Art by Sangay Dorji
14
15
16
17
18
Rice, 2175
In 2010, with the help of partners, WFP distributed over 2,826 MT of food commodities. The
logistical aspects of WFPs operations are jointly handled by the Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB)
and by individual districts. FCB receives commodities at one of its three regional warehouses, which
are located in Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jonkhar.
Extended Delivery Points (EDP) or food delivery points have been established so that remote schools
without road accessibility are still able to collect food. There are three regional warehouses, seven
transit warehouses and about 60 EDPs spread across the country. The delivery of the food
commodities from transit warehouses and EDPs to feeding centers not accessible by road is overseen
by the district administrations, which organize and finance the transportation of the commodities.
For off-road schools, food is lifted from the road head by porters, ponies or even yaks, through the
challenging terrain, to reach the beneficiaries.
WFP Bhutan remains committed to local procurement; in 2010, 85 percent of food was purchased
locally. To the extent possible, food was procured locally, although due to limited internal production
most commodities originate from neighboring India.
WFP takes part in Social Forestry Day
2nd June is celebrated as Social Forestry day in Bhutan. WFP observed the day by providing tree saplings
and refreshments to students and teachers in selected schools. WFP participated in planting 2,000 saplings
with the help of the school children of Dawakha LSS in Paro, Genekha LSS and Yangchen Gatshel LSS in
Thimphu, Chungkha LSS in Chhukha, Bartsham MSS, Yangneer CPS and Dungtse MSS in Trashigang.
19
The Royal Government of Bhutan through the MoE and Ministry of Agriculture and Forests are
WFPs principal partners. The Government has established a School Feeding, Agriculture and
Environment Division within the Ministry of Education with which WFP works closely to build its
ability to manage school feeding.
Country programme activities are being
integrated into the overall development plans of
the Government.
The Royal Government of Bhutan provided over
US$5,000 towards WFP office support costs,
while also donating rent free UN House, which
hosts most UN agency offices in Bhutan.
Furthermore,
the
government
provided
budgetary support in terms of remuneration for
20
Government Collaboration
Government Collaboration
Government Collaboration
21
In 2010 WFP Bhutan received a little over US$ 1.8 million dollars in the form of Directed Multilateral
and Multilateral contributions. US$ 1.24 was received as directed multilateral from Australia, Japan
Association for the UN WFP, government of Bhutan, Yum! Brands, UN Common Funds and US
Friends of WFP while through multilateral channels 400,000 US$ were received from Government of
Denmark. These contributions have been utilized to purchase food commodities and for associated
costs.
Donor
Australia
Govt. of Denmark
Japan Association for WFP
Yum! Brands (CAF UK)
UN Common Funds under Delivering as One (DaO)
Yum! Brands (Australia)
Pizza Hut (Korea)
Yum! Brands (US Friends of WFP)
Government Counterpart Cash Contribution
TIUM Korea
TOTAL
22
Contribution Type
Directed Multilateral
Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
Directed Multilateral
US$
436,681
400,000
359,649
210,225
194,999
120,952
53,209
87,000
5,000
4,982
1,872,697
Donor Contributions
Donor Contributions
Mr. Mark Bailey, Australian Regional Counselor for South Asia at Genekha
Lower Secondary School
Dr. Lachlan Strahan, Deputy Head of Mission, Australian High Commission
in New Delhi at Yangchen Gatshel Lower Secondary School
23
The School Feeding Programme in Bhutan is implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education
(MOE). At the central level, the programme is managed by the MOE and WFP. In the field, theDistrict
Education Officers (DEO), FCB staff and school mess committee members work together in
organizing and following food distributions, and monitoring the implementation of the programme
throughout the school year.
Education is linked to all the Millennium
Hand washing mandatory at all
Development Goals set by the United Nations and
schools with feeding programme
WFP works with other UN agencies towards
achieving them. This brings advantages of synergy to
the activities of WFP and its sister agencies.
Joint programming with other UN agencies has
therefore been strongly pursued, especially through
In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, WFP established school agriculture
programme in selected schools across the country. In addition, UNICEF and WFP worked together to
improve water and sanitation facilities in schools.
24
Implementing Partners
Implementing Partners
25
Bhutan faces many challenges in achieving the MDGs; it is difficult to determine the exact number of
school aged children who are out of school, especially in those very remote and difficult parts of the
country. The difficult terrain hinders the delivery of the
services. In order to reach the UN Millennium
Development Goal of Education for All Bhutan still has
challenges to overcome. Some districts have a net
primary enrollment rate significantly below the national
average. That poverty is mainly a rural phenomenon
reflects itself in the fact that rural enrollment is on an
average 25% lower compared to urban areas.
26
Challenges ahead
Challenges Ahead
27
28
Years in Bhutan
1984 - 1988
1989 - 1992
1992 - 1996
1997 - 1998
1999 - 2001
2002
2003 - 2006
2007 - 2009
2010
29
From Left to right: Tshewang Gyalpo, Tashi Tshewang, Udaya Sharma,Namgay Tenzin, Dungkar
Drukpa, Tashi Dema Penjore, Kencho Wangmo, Tsgering Palden, Phub Delma
Staff not featured above:
Bhanu B. Adhikari
30