Mozambique and Italy to invest 240 million meticais in health training
WFP (File photo) / A child receives her school meal in Makhonje, Mozambique, 2013
Over a hundred thousand school children living in areas affected by drought will receive school meals under an agreement signed in Maputo on Thursday by the Mozambican government and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The agreement was signed by Education Minister Jorge Ferrao and WFP representative Abdoulaye Balde. It will provide forty million US dollars over a five year period.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Ferrao explained that the meals will reduce the levels of chronic malnutrition in schools and will help retain students.
According to the minister, the programme will focus on the worst affected provinces of Tete, Inhambane and Gaza. However, attention will also be paid to Sofala province and the north of Manica province.
Ferrao pointed out that eight million dollars will be disbursed each year to the schools covered by the scheme. However, he warned that schools risk having their funding cut if they fail to provide a report on the use of the funds.
Abdoulaye Balde added that the implementation of this programme shows the commitment of the government to combatting hunger among children.
The provinces of Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane in the south of the country, and Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia in the centre are most affected by the drought. According to the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), at least one and a half million people are currently suffering from food insecurity.
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