Japan contributes USD 1.3 million to support school feeding and prevent malnutrition in Chad

The agreement was signed in N'Djamena by Kentaro Minami, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Chad, and Jean-Noël Gentile, WFP Representative and Country Director in Chad.

“The Japanese Government reaffirms its commitment to laying the groundwork for a better future for Chad,” said Kentaro. “Children are the future of Chad, and ensuring they can study under better conditions is crucial, especially for young girls. It is also important to support the Chadian efforts to eradicate malnutrition. Doing so today means building a better Chad for tomorrow.”

Japan's contribution will enable WFP to buy 333 metric tons of food to support 23,000 people. Some 16,400 schoolchildren will receive school meals for six months during the 2026/2027 school year, helping to improve nutrition and support school attendance and retention, particularly among girls. The contribution will also provide malnutrition prevention services to 6,700 children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women, while promoting healthy feeding practices.

“The sustained partnership with the people of Japan is allowing us to invest in Chad’s future by protecting the health of young children and promoting access to education for the most vulnerable students,” said Gentile. “By combining school feeding and other nutrition interventions, we are contributing to human capital development and longer-term community resilience.” Japan's support comes as 3.5 million people in Chad face severe food insecurity and two million children under five are affected by acute malnutrition. Chad also hosts 1.5 million refugees, including nearly 945,000 people who have fled the conflict in Sudan since April 2023. WFP requires about USD 85 million to sustain its operations from September 2026 to February 2027 to achieve its objective of reaching 3.7 million people per year.

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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 weather extremes.

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