DUSHANBE, September 3, 2010, Asia-Plus – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is launching a new school feeding project to provide nearly 370,000 poor children in rural primary schools with a daily nourishing meal, According to the WFP CO in Tajikistan.
As Tajikistan’s children end their summer holiday and head back to the classroom,
WFP begins this week a five-year school feeding program aimed at improving nutrition and encouraging regular attendance.
“WFP is committed to giving critical support to children who will become the future citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan,” said WFP Country Director Alzira Ferreira. “For over 40 years, WFP school feeding has been proven to give children the boost they need to go to school every day and concentrate on their learning process.”
The school meal consists of hot soup and bread prepared in school kitchens using WFP’s fortified wheat flour and enriched vegetable oil. Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) frequently supply fresh vegetables as a nutritious supplement to the soup. Teachers and classroom assistants also receive a meal.
The UN food agency has been giving school meals to poor and vulnerable children in Tajikistan’s rural areas for more than 10 years. The new program consolidates the strengths of the past with new strategies to improve school infrastructure and empower the PTAs managing the schools.
