FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

Czech Republic – Tailored food and material assistance for the most deprived Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) Images © Photka, Shutterstock.com, 2018 WHY? In 2017, over 12% of people in Czech Republic were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Although this rate has been decreasing over the past few years, a significant proportion of the population remains particularly affected. The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) has therefore decided to invest in the provision of quality food and hygiene products, as well as increased access to social services and counselling, in the attempt to improve the situation and wellbeing of the most vulnerable groups. WHAT? MoLSA first conducted a pilot of the project, distributing one type of food package to 4 000 people that were considered to be at ‘the highest risk of poverty’ in selected regions across the country. Building on this experience, MoLSA implemented a second phase of the project. It consulted with partner organisations to understand what materials were most in demand, identifying two types of food packages and three types of hygiene packages as those with the highest impact. MoLSA conducted a procurement procedure to ensure that suppliers respected minimum requirements in terms of product quality and quantity. These requirements guaranteed that the products delivered had high nutritional value, and took into account the needs of the target population . For instance, canned foods need to have an easy-open device, as most end recipients such as homeless people are unlikely to have a tin-opener at hand. Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 20