Food Security and Empowerment of Women in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

This project focuses on increasing the financial security and resilience of the host communities affected by the Rohingya refugee influx in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh with a particular focus on ultra-poor women and children. This project has two components designed to address the immediate and underlying causes of the prevailing food insecurity and malnutrition in this region. Component one focuses on improving food security, women’s empowerment and livelihoods, benefiting 12,500ultra-poor host community women and their families. Project activities include the provision of: training in technical skills for income generation; a small cash subsistence allowance to improve food consumption and dietary diversity and to cover essential household consumption needs; a business start-up fund; life skills training; and social and behaviour change communication on topics such as child marriage, gender discrimination, gender-based violence, disaster risk reduction, nutrition, child and maternal care, and personal hygiene. Component two focuses on improving nutrition, benefiting 7,500 children under the age of five and 2,500 pregnant and lactating women. Project activities include the provision of: supplementary food assistance; and social and behaviour change communication on topics such as feeding practices, child and maternal health and hygiene.