WFP allowed to begin food distribution in schools

Food distribution among primary school children in war-affected areas in the north of the Central African Republic is due to begin next week following a government authorisation to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), an official told IRIN on Wednesday. WFP Country Representative David Bulman said the agency had 2,200 mt of food, out of a required 8,800 mt, to help at least 100,000 pupils in the northern provinces of Ouham Pende, Ouham, Nana Gribizi and Kemo. The authorisation followed a meeting on Wednesday between Bulman and Education Minister Bevarah Lala. The northern provinces were most affected by the October 2002-March 2003 fighting between rebels and government forces. Some residents in the areas have still not returned to their homes. Bulman, who toured the region in early August, said about 50 percent of school children were attending class. "This operation will encourage the children to attend class because a lot of them are in a situation of food difficulty," he said. The agency, he said, would distribute rations comprising 100 gm of maize flour, 25 gm of Corn-Soya Blend, 10 gm of vegetable oil, 20 gm of beans, 10 gm of sugar and 3 gm of salt to each pupil daily. The food would be cooked in schools by parents’ associations. "We have all the commodities and we are ready to start [distribution] now," Bulman said. He added that the launching ceremony was scheduled for next week in Bossangoa and Kaga Bandoro, 305 km and 342 km north of Bangui, the capital, respectively. He said the major obstacle to the food distribution would be the poor state of roads because of the current rainy season. He added that the project was targeting the displaced and other vulnerable groups in the war-affected regions. "The act of feeding the children means that parents have less difficulty in feeding the rest of the family," Bulman said, adding that there was fear of famine early in 2004 as "the harvests in October will be poor". He said people in the north were likely run out of food in December and would face shortages during the three months ahead of the farming season that normally starts in April. The school year in the north was disrupted by the fighting. Subsequently, the government has prolonged it to 29 November and announced that the 2003-2004 school year would begin on 15 December. The WFP announced the school food distribution programme one month after the resumption of its food delivery into the country. The agency suspended food delivery in March after 1,800 mt of food were looted from the WFP warehouses in Bangui in the aftermath of the 15 March coup that brought Francois Bozize to power. In July, the WFP acquired another warehouse in a safer place. So far, no large-scale food distribution has been organised in the north, mainly due to insecurity that prevailed until recently. Government forces and the peace force of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States contributed to the restoration of security, allowing for the resumption of humanitarian operations.