El Salvador: Protecting children: towards a coordinated food security and nutritional programme for El Salvador

A sharp decline in remittances augmented by rising food and fuel prices has spiked poverty and malnutrition levels in El Salvador.In 2008, extreme poverty rose by 6.5% and 87% of poor households reduced food consumption levels. El Salvador’s important gains toward fulfilling the MDGs, in areas like hunger and poverty reduction (MDG 1), and improved infant mortality rates (MDG 4) are seriously threatened.

This initiative addresses Areas 1, 2 & 3–MDG-F window-by working to build consensus and strengthen state stewardship capacity to set forth integrated approaches to alleviate child hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity, benefiting institutions at the national level and locally in three poverty-stricken Northeastern municipalities. It will advance integration of monitoring & evaluation information systems and promote multi-stakeholder consensus in the design and implementation of child nutrition and food security plans with leading participation of women and indigenous populations.