Overview Shan State, the largest State in Myanmar, borders with China in the north, Laos in the east and Thailand in the south. Its territory constitutes 23.2 percent of the entire country and is divided into northern Shan, southern Shan and eastern Shan. It has four self-administrative zones and one self-administrative division. It is home to 5.8 million people of 33 different ethnic groups. The main livelihood activity of the people in Shan State is agriculture: shifting cultivation is practiced in the hilly regions. During most of the 20th century, people relied heavily on poppy cultivation, especially in areas, where the geographic and meteorological conditions were not favorable for growing food crops. Thus, opium had become the main source of income for the people. Following the Government’s comprehensive ban on poppy cultivation in 2003, the livelihood of the poppy farmers was severely affected in northern Shan State. The State has been experiencing recurrent armed conflicts between ethnic armed groups and the central Government. Significantly in recent years, armed conflict between the Government forces and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army that took place in Kokang Self Administrative Zone in February 2015.

In September 2003, WFP opened its first sub-office in Laukai, Kokang Region to support ex-poppy farmers. In 2004, WFP’s presence was expanded to Wa Self-Administered Division and nine townships in the northern part of Lashio, where people’s food security had also deteriorated following the opium ban. Since then, WFP’s food assistance in northern Shan has been carried out through its Lashio area office and Pang Kham sub-office. In 2005, another field office was established in Taunggyi in order to extend the support to ex-poppy farmers in southern Shan. Laukai sub-office was closed in 2014, due to improved food security situation in Kokang evidenced by the 2013 Food Security Information Network (FSIN) surveys, and it was followed by the closure of Taunggyi sub-office in 2015. Currently, WFP, from the remaining two offices, provides food assistance not only to the ex-poppy farmers, but also to vulnerable people, affected by natural and man-made disasters in Shan State. Although poverty in northern and eastern Shan is higher than the country’s average of 26 percent, its overall food security situation is moderate, with some areas, however, being classified as highly food insecure. WFP stands ready to assist the most vulnerable communities and will continue its efforts to extend collaboration with local and international cooperating partners to improve food security and nutrition status of the vulnerable people in Shan State.

Shan Operational Brief WFP Myanmar

PARTNERSHIPS Government Counterpart

Ministry of Border Affairs (NaTaLa)

Coordination with other Government Partners

Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

Ministry of Education

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development

UN Coordination Agencies and WFP Cooperating

Partners

RELIEF Since 2012, WFP has been assisting populations displaced in Shan State by intermittent clashes between the Government and ethnic armed groups with in-kind food assistance. WFP’s general food distribution reaches a total of 12,000 IDPs in 26 camps, including five IDPs camps located in a Kachin border area with northern Shan. Since 2014, WFP has employed combined cash and rice modality for 2,500 recipients with access to functioning markets. The remaining 9,500 IDPs are still receiving monthly food baskets that consist of rice, pulses, oil and salt. In addition, WFP has been providing life-saving food assistance to 4,000 Kokang returnees, who were displaced by the armed conflict between the Government forces and the Myanmar National Democractic Alliance Army during 2015.

ASSET CREATION

The asset creation activities started in northern Shan in 2004 to provide ex-poppy farmers with alternative work opportunities paid in food commodities and at the same time, to build assets that benefit the entire community. Following a successful pilot cash-for-asset programme in Lashio area, WFP has expanded its cash-based asset creation programmes in Shan State, where markets are functioning and safe cash infrastructure systems are in place. In 2015, WFP enabled income opportunities for over 35,000 people by providing in-kind food or cash in return for their participation in (re-) construction of community assets. 2015 asset creation programme in Shan State included construction/renovation of 333 hectares of terraced land, 3 mini dams, 1 dyke, 80 km of road, 18 km of water supply, 3 fish ponds, 4 rainwater collection tanks and 3 school buildings. The 2015 initial assessment revealed loss of livestock and crops. Discussions with village leaders during regular monitoring visits also suggested rehabilitation works would be required for farmers to resume their livelihoods. However, comprehensive information has been unattainable so far as it is still infeasible for major portion of returnees to access agricultural farms in outskirts, with military forces remaining. Nevertheless, WFP envisages food or cash for asset activities to enable conflict-affected households to restore livelihoods when resettlement becomes feasible.

SCHOOL FEEDING

WFP started its school feeding programme in Shan State in 2004. Following the ban on poppy cultivation, many children dropped out of school, as their parents could no longer afford their school fees. With an objective to promote the enrollment and the retention of primary schoolchildren, WFP’s school feeding mainly targets children in primary schools located in remote villages with high food insecurity and enrollment rates lower than 70 percent. In 2015/16 academic year, WFP conducted, primarily through partnership with Department of Education at township level, daily school feeding of high energy biscuits at more than 670 schools, catering to a total of 117,000 schoolchildren. In 2016/17 academic, WFP aims to reach 405 schools, catering to 35,000 school children.

NUTRITION

Based on alarmingly high malnutrition rates detected in northern Shan (prevalence of stunting: 61.8 percent; wasting 42.5 percent), WFP started its first pilot nutrition programme in 2007 in two villages in Kokang Region, in cooperation with the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA). The main objective is to improve or maintain the nutrition status of targeted pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and children under two years of age. Since then WFP has expanded the programme and in 2015, WFP provided nutrition support to more than 9,700 PLW and children in Shan State. In 2016, WFP aims to reach more than 6,300 pregnant women and nursing mothers, and children under 2 through prevention of stunting activities.

Support to PLHIV/TB Clients

WFP provides food-by-prescription to help achieve the optimal outcomes of treatment and to improve adherence of the people living with HIV (PLHIV) on anti-retrovial therapy and TB clients receiving Directly Observed Treatment (DOTS) or DOTS-Plus as well as to maintain or prevent the deterioration of their nutritional status. In 2015, WFP assisted approximately 1,400 PLHIV/ TB patients. In 2016, WFP is cooperating with Asian Harm Reduction Network (AHRN) and National TB programme to reach 400 PLHIV/ TB. Additionally, WFP intends to expand its support to PLHIV/TB patients in Keng Tung, Mong Sat and Tachileik Townships.

Contact: khinsaw.than@wfp.org

WFP area office, Lashio. August 2016