Cash Assistance to Improve Food Access and Dietary Diversity in Urban Slums in Dhaka

English

UN-NUT001

Urban poor households in low- and middle-income countries have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those who lost their incomes, such as daily wage earners and informal sector workers. As the pandemic unfolded, it was evident that many existing social protection programmes were not fit for purpose and unable to provide an adequate response, due to inaccurate targeting and a lack of access for workers in the informal economy. This paper presents an example from Dhaka, where WFP piloted an innovative cash assistance programme in two urban slums. during the COVID-19 pandemic. This intervention shows the potential to improve food and nutrition security in urban slums by making healthy foods more affordable and by promoting the consumption of healthy and diverse diets through a combination of behaviour change communication (BCC) and cash incentives.

ART 612

UN Nutrition Journal, 2022, Vol.1, P.146-150

eng

ANA-130031