$30m US help for school feeding scheme
World Food Programme (WFP) has received a contribution of US$30 million from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for operating its flagship school feeding programme.
The USDA donations would help WFP-run school feeding programme in 1,800 schools for a year benefiting over 350,000 pre-primary and primary school children in poverty-prone areas in Bangladesh, said a WFP press release yesterday.
The school feeding programme provides fortified biscuits to reduce micro-nutrient deficiencies among school children.
Parents, teachers and other family members will also be benefited from community mobilisation and educational activities under WFP's school feeding programme. WFP will also provide training to government officials and NGO service providers on gender issues, community mobilisation, hygiene, health and de-worming.
The WFP-supported School Feeding programme, covering more than 1.2 million children, is being implemented jointly by the primary and mass education ministry and the directorate of primary education. NGO partners will also assist the implementation at the local level.
Between 2001 and 2010, USDA contributed more than US$40 million to WFP-assisted primary school children in the most food-insecure areas of the country, said the release.
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