The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the launching of a pilot program that will provide 172,000 Iraqi primary school children “with a free daily snack at school to help boost school attendance and learning and improve food security in eight of the country’s poorest districts,” the news release reads.The $1.6 million WFP pilot scheme is funded by the Iraqi Government. Each child will receive, over the next three months, a daily date fruit bar. WFP hopes to cover 1 million children in the 14 most “vulnerable” districts next year.
WFP Iraq Country Director Edward Kallon states in the news release, “This initiative, which we are taking to support the Ministry of Education, is one of a number of projects WFP is undertaking to assist the most vulnerable people in Iraq . . . This is part of our overall strategy to help the Government provide social safety nets for the poorest members of the population [.]”’
School attendance is a big issue in Iraq. The WFP news release notes that 34 percent of primary school children do not complete primary school, “and nine out of ten children under the age of 15 do not attend school regularly.” The agency believes history shows that the promise of a meal a day “increases enrolment and promotes regular attendance [.]”
This news is good for the Iraqi agricultural sector as well as the dates used in the bars will be produced domestically. There is hope this would create jobs both in the agriculture industry, but also in the manufacturing industry, and with a focus on local procurement, this should create a type of stimulus to local economies.
It is worth noting that currently, over 2.5 million Iraqis received UN assistance.
To read the WFP news release click here.
