Canada and WFP join forces to provide school meals to 100,000 students over five years in Haiti

The 45 million Canadian dollars contribution will provide a stable, long-term source of funding for WFP’s school feeding programmes, including home-grown school meals. This reduces malnutrition, improves school attendance and promotes academic success, while increasing the income and long-term resilience of local smallholder farmers.

By purchasing the ingredients for school meals from local farmers and producers, WFP supports job creation and helps build the capacity of Haitian farmers. Currently, over half of all school meals provided by WFP in Haiti are locally produced. 

“The transition to locally produced school meals is a key priority for WFP in Haiti. By 2028, we aim to have all our school meals locally sourced. This contribution from Canada helps us move closer to that goal, which not only ensures students have the nutrition needed to grow and learn, but also contributes to the development of local agriculture and stimulates the local economy. It’s a win-win situation,” said Wanja Kaaria, WFP Country Director in Haiti. 

This new funding from Canada will allow WFP and MENFP to reach 400 schools across the country with daily, hot nutritious meals by working together with 70 producer associations. In addition, 2,000 farmers will be trained on storage, grain conservation, quality control and reduction of post-harvest loss.

The contribution from Canada makes up a significant part of the overall WFP school meals programme in Haiti, which reached a total of 478,000 students across the country during the 2023-24 school year. 

#                    #                       #

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Follow us on X @wfp_media, @WFP_Haiti