Italy gives 2 million euros for school-feeding

The government of Italy has donated 2 million euros, about US $2.5 m, to support the World Food Programme's (WFP) school feeding programme in five sahelian countries, WFP said in a press release. The agency's spokesman in Dakar, Ramin Rafirasme, said on Tuesday that Italy was the first donor to contribute towards this programme, which is part of a combined initiative on school feeding, health and basic education launched last September by WFP and education ministers from nine sahelian countries. The Italian donation will support school-feeding programmes in Senegal, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Niger and Chad, the spokesman said, adding that these countries were chosen by Italy. "We are particularly encouraged by this contribution," said Manuel Aranda da Silva, WFP's regional director for West Africa. "It comes at a time when WFP is putting efforts in strengthening School Feeding projects in countries," Da Silva added. The strategy launched in September hopes to register an additional six million children into schools over the next 11 years. The programme is to extend a school meal programme and combine it with measures to improve child health, nutrition as well as education support. Only half the children of school age receive basic primary education in the sahelian countries, WFP noted, adding that in some of the least developed countries, such as Niger and Mali, only a third go to school. In the rural areas, the agency said, families send boys to obtain basic primary education while they keep girls are made to stay at home to help with domestic tasks. WFP hopes to improve access to free meals in regions facing food insecurity and poverty. In the schools, girls and boys will receive the meals. WFP plans to give extra food for the children to carry some home for their mothers and families. In Senegal, WFP provides two meals a day to 115,000 pupils in the regions of Kaolack, Fatick and Tambacounda. WFP also intends to assist 120,000 pupils in 350 schools in the southern Casamance area. In Cape Verde, WFP provides food for free and meals in over 450 primary and pre-primary schools. In this country with a very modest agricultural base, heavily dependent on expensive food imports, the free meals service has proved critical in boosting school enrolment. The country now has close to a 100% primary school attendance record, amongst the best in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 674,00 children, representing 10% of the seven million children registered in primary schools in the nine sahelian countries benefit from the school feeding programme. The programme costs less than $34 per child per year, WFP said. The combined action for school feeding, health and basic primary education in the sahel also hopes to provide potable water, decent hygiene for 5.7 million children by 2015, a target line fixed by the governments to achieve free primary education for all. The first years of this programme will cost about US $24 million, rising to US $163 million at the final stages. WFP hopes to distribute 360,000 tonnes of food per year.