US, WFP to give $26m to keep 0.13m children in school

US Ambassador in Bangladesh Dan Mozena announced Wednesday that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would provide US$26 million through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to benefit 0.13 million school children in Bangladesh's poorest areas, reports UNB.

The contribution is part of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme.

Mozena made the announcement during a visit to Hashilkandi Government Primary School in Gaibanda district. Primary and Mass Education Minister Md Mostafizur Rahman and WFP Representative Christa Räder were present, said a US Embassy press release.

"USDA has been a reliable partner and donor to school feeding in Bangladesh since the programme's inception in 2001," Räder said at the school.

He went on, "Thanks to this support, WFP had not only helped millions of children to attend school, but has also helped build the capacity of Bangladesh government to deliver a national school feeding programme. Today, the government was reaching almost twice as many children as WFP. USDA had played a vital role in this success story."

Throughout Bangladesh, WFP supports 1.0 million children in primary and preprimary schools, while the government of Bangladesh reaches 1.8 million. The students receive vitamin and mineral-enriched biscuits every day at school. All the biscuits are produced in Bangladesh.