Wednesday, May 18, 2005
WFP hails Indian food shipment for Afghan kids
Press Trust of India
New York, May 18, 2005
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed the third major food shipment from India as part of New Delhi's pledge to donate one million tonnes of wheat to help feed schoolchildren in Afghanistan.
"We are very grateful to the Government of India for this contribution, [which] has made a dramatic difference in our efforts to spread school feeding in Afghanistan and improve both the health and educational conditions of many poor Afghan children," WFP's Country Director and Representative Charles Vincent said.
The Indian wheat is converted into fortified biscuits with micronutrients that raise children's nutrition and enhance their ability to learn.
The latest shipment, totalling 18,000 tonnes, will boost WFP's plan to cover more than 1.1 million students in 2005, he said.
Meanwhile, as part of WFP's ongoing initiative to spur school enrollment, the agency is providing 500,000 Afghan schoolgirls with four-litre tins of cooking oil to take home to their families.
To address low enrolment in areas where food insecurity is especially high, the WFP will provide around 350,000 boys and girls with 12.5 kg of wheat to take home every month.
© HT Media Ltd. 2005.