WFP launches school recipe book and upgrades school kitchens in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE – The Government of Tajikistan, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the Russian Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI) today launched the latest edition of the School Meals Recipe Book during an event in Dushanbe.
The Government, WFP and SIFI have also unveiled a model school kitchen initiative in the eastern Tajik town of Roghun. A joint WFP and SIFI pilot programme upgraded school meal facilities at 50 schools in the Khatlon region and the districts of Rasht Valley. The facilities have been renovated and stocked with new cooking equipment while staff have received training on its use and learned how to prepare a more diversified menu drawn from the recipe book.
Both the book and model school kitchens are funded by the Russian Federation which is Tajikistan’s donor partner for the country’s entire School Feeding Programme. This provides daily meals to over 400,000 children in 2,000 primary schools.
“Combined with upgraded school kitchens, this new collection of nutritious recipes will build on the success of the first book in supporting sustainable school meals in Tajikistan,” said WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Tajikistan Alberto Correia Mendes. “These efforts demonstrate the commitment of the Government and its development partners - the Russian Federation, WFP and SIFI - to continue improving the School Feeding Programme.”
The first edition of the book was published in 2016 and was selected “Best in the World” at the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, held in Yantai, China.
The book features delicious and nutritious school meals that children will soon be enjoying in school. It includes more than a hundred mostly traditional Tajik recipes designed to provide a healthy and varied diet. The dishes showcase local cooking traditions while using simple and affordable ingredients.
Speaking at the launch, Mirhamuddin Kamolzoda, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSPP), praised the initiatives, noting their alignment with the National Strategy on School Feeding, and extended the Government’s gratitude to WFP and SIFI. He also thanked the Russian Federation for funding the School Feeding Programme.
WFP is focused on delivering development programmes that help build the Government’s capacity in Tajikistan. WFP is working with the MoHSPP and the Ministry of Education towards the transition of the School Feeding Programme to full national ownership by 2021.
School feeding is WFP’s largest programme in Tajikistan. Thanks to WFP, more than 16 million school children around the world benefitted from nutritious WFP meals and snacks last year. WFP also helped improve the capacity of 65 governments globally, which led to improved national school feeding programmes for another 39 million children.
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The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing the lives of millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.
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