WFP Launches a Campaign to Improve the Nutrition of Vulnerable Women and Children in Palestine – Press Release

Jerusalem – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a new campaign to provide nutritional support to hundreds of pregnant and nursing women in Gaza and the West Bank, aiming to combat malnutrition and high anaemia (iron deficiency) rates among them.

The campaign, under the slogan “Your little wins add up to big achievements”, includes activities such as cooking sessions, home-garden kits and training for growing vegetables and fruits, to be delivered at the individual, household, and community levels. It is being rolled out via social media platforms and through on-site awareness sessions. “Addressing important issues like anaemia through community-based and online initiatives means accelerating and supporting a knowledge-sharing process,” said Samer AbdelJaber, WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine. “Through hands-on initiatives and harnessing the power of technology, we work together to build a process that ultimately aims not just to share information but to inspire people to apply it to their everyday activities.”

Through awareness sessions given to pregnant and nursing women as well as mothers of children under five, the campaign provides information to participants on iron-rich food items and anaemia prevention. The sessions include edutainment activities and discussions with nutritionists in addition to healthy cooking sessions on the preparation of iron-rich foods.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), iron deficiency is an intermediate public health problem in Palestine, especially among children under five. Through this campaign, WFP aims to support mothers and families in improving their nutrition while boosting dietary iron consumption. WFP will also provide some participants with sessions on home gardening and iron-rich plant gardening through the “grow your own garden” activity.

These activities will encourage participants to make healthy food and lifestyle choices for themselves and their families, contributing to improving their overall nutritional status. SBCC approach combines elements of interpersonal communication, social change, advocacy, and community engagement to support individuals, families, and communities in adopting and maintaining high-impact nutrition behaviours or practices.

In Palestine, WFP provides food assistance to the most vulnerable people through in-kind food and cash-based transfers. We are also supporting long-term resilience via a livelihood approach that employs targeted training, supporting skills-focused employment opportunities, and providing home-based agricultural assets to improve the food security and nutritional needs of the most vulnerable and impacted Palestinian households. WFP also works with partners, donors, and local institutions to provide technical support to enhance the capacity of national partners and national social protection systems.

The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.  We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.

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