OTTAWA, Canada, October 30, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced Canada’s continued support for the Madagascar school feeding program of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
“Providing meals in schools helps children learn,” said Minister Paradis. ‘‘Through Canada’s leadership and support, the WFP is supplying nutritious food to schoolchildren, which will help to increase enrolment and attendance, decrease drop-out rates and improve children’s concentration, learning and performance.”
Canada is providing $6.4 million over two years to the WFP’s school feeding program in Madagascar. This program will provide meals to more than 214,000 children attending primary schools as well as 24,000 orphans and vulnerable children enrolled in vocational training centres, where seasonal food insecurity and extreme poverty have impacted school attendance.
Quick Facts
• The WFP is the world’s largest provider of school meals as a way to motivate children to enrol in, attend and stay in school, and increase their nutrition.
• The WFP is Canada’s largest humanitarian partner, and Canada was the WFP’s third-largest donor in 2013, contributing more than $370 million to its operations.
• Canada has been one of the largest donors to the WFP’s school feeding program since 2003.
• In 2013 the WFP provided food assistance to more than 80 million people in 75 of the world’s poorest countries.
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