The Russian Federation supports WFP school feeding programme in Tajikistan
DUSHANBE – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today held a ceremony to hand over to the Government of Tajikistan more than 180 tons of vegetable oil purchased with funds from the Russian Federation. This is the first batch of a total of 300 tons of vegetable oil to cover the needs of its National School Feeding Programme.
“The Russian Federation has been supporting WFP in Tajikistan since 2005. We would like to thank the Russian Federation for its collaboration with WFP and considerable and consistent support, which has proven crucial in assisting Tajik schoolchildren,” said WFP Deputy Country Director and Representative in Tajikistan Mariko Kawabata.
The handover ceremony was attended by representatives from WFP, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tajikistan, the Ministry of Education and Science of Tajikistan, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan and other partners.
Currently, around 500,000 Tajik schoolchildren from grades 1 to 4 in 2,000 schools across 52 rural districts are served hot, nutritious soup or other local meals and a piece of traditional bread baked using staple food commodities provided by WFP. In addition, with the support of the Russian Federation, WFP also works on the renovation of school canteens, bakeries, the further training of staff at Tajik schools and advocating healthy diets.
The School Feeding Programme is WFP’s largest operation in Tajikistan and represents the organization’s strong commitment to changing lives. In vulnerable and food insecure communities, providing healthy food to children at school means better nutrition, improved health as well as increased access to education.
In Tajikistan, WFP focuses on supporting development programmes that help strengthen institutional capacities. Since 1999, the organization has been partnering with the Government of Tajikistan to implement and manage school feeding in the country.
With the financial support of the Russian Federation, WFP, in cooperation with the Russian NGO Social and Industrial Foodservice Institute (SIFI), is working with the Tajik Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population and the Ministry of Education and Science towards the gradual transition of the School Feeding Programme to full national ownership starting from 2021.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are 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.
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