Quarterly Report: School Feeding Response Activity (SFRA) for the period August 2018– March 2019

The activity is implemented by the World Food Program (WFP) and has a duration of August 30, 2018, to November 30, 2020. The project's objective is to support the Government of Colombia's efforts to provide nutritional food sources for vulnerable children, returnee Colombian children, and receptor communities through a school feeding strategy. During the reporting period from August 2018 to March 2019, substantive progress was made in each of SFRA's three intermediate results. Meetings were held with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Certified Territorial Entities (CTE) to socialize the activity and define the public policy on school feeding needs. The WFP contracting process was also initiated, which included the hiring of activity staff, including the Activity Manager, Activity Assistant, Monitoring Assistant, Monitoring Associate, Social and Behavior Change Communications Advisor, Cúcuta Coordinator, and Barranquilla-Santa Marta Coordinator. The activity staff was hired through a competitive process, which included the publication of vacancies on the E-Recruitment platform, review and elaboration of resumes, technical tests, interviews, and verification of references. The selected candidates were María Antonia Mejía Vélez, Angela Piragauta, Milena Araujo, Ana María Flórez, Juan Carlos Guayacan, and Oswaldo Arévalo, who began working on February 7, March 4, March 4, March 7, March 7, and March 7, 2019, respectively. Regional offices were also established in La Guajira, Norte de Santander, and Atlántico and Magdalena. The WFP has established a Sub-Office in the city of Riohacha, which will coordinate all operations in the region. Offices will also be set up in the United Nations office in the city of Barranquilla, with negotiations starting in January 2019. The activity has made significant progress in each of its intermediate results, including the provision of nutritious school meals for excluded migrant children, capacity strengthening of national and local institutions, and community integration and the prevention of discrimination, xenophobia, and violence. The activity has also established partnerships with various organizations, including the Ministry of Education, Certified Territorial Entities, and the United Nations. The financial report for the reporting period shows that the total funds committed were USD $4,988,075.58, and the total funds obligated were also USD $4,988,075.58. The activity has made significant progress in its implementation, and the next quarter will focus on continuing the implementation of the activity's objectives and addressing any challenges that may arise.