Bujumbura – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has received a US$1.5 million contribution from the Government of the People’s Republic of China through the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) to provide nutritious meals to thousands of schoolchildren in Burundi. Ta.
The funds will enable WFP to purchase 985 tonnes of maize and 245 tonnes of yellow split peas to benefit 42,000 school children in the country’s Bubanza, Bujumbura and Cibitoke provinces for one year.
Speaking at the launch event at Buganda Primary School in Cibitoke District, His Excellency Zhao Jiangping, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Burundi, said: “China is willing to support school meals that improve children’s nutrition and help them concentrate on studies and perform better at school. China is willing to help Burundi realize its development vision of 2040 and 2060 and further advance to jointly build a China-China joint construction. As an objective, it is committed to promoting the development of human capital. A community that shares Burundi’s future.
School feeding programs can be a powerful incentive for poor families to enroll their children in school. A study conducted by Harvard University in Burundi found that school lunches save families 14 percent of their food costs, help students focus on their studies, and lead to sustained increases in enrollment and lower dropout rates. Masu. Schools with cafeterias also have a 5.1 percent higher exam pass rate and a 3.6 percent lower dropout rate compared to the national average.
The Government of Burundi has increased the national funding of the school feeding program by more than 100 percent from 2023 to 2024, identifying school cafeterias as the greatest social safety net for vulnerable children.
“In Burundi, 700,000 children, or one in four school children, currently benefit from school meals. We aim to achieve universal access by 2032 and our efforts will continue to We are making progress,” said François Haviarimana, Burundi’s Minister of Education and Scientific Research. Burundi.
Arduino Mangoni said: “With this important support from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, WFP is working with the Government of Burundi to improve the health, nutrition and education of thousands of schoolchildren and invest in their future. We will be able to build a brighter tomorrow.” , WFP Deputy Country Director for Burundi.
School meals are an investment in Burundi’s future. Research studies have estimated that the multidisciplinary effects of the National School Lunch Program provide a return of $5.2 for every dollar invested.
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