Apr 19, 2012

Laos - Cuban sugar sweetens education for Lao children


More than 150,000 pre-primary and primary school students will get a daily energy boost to help them concentrate better on their studies thanks to a contribution from Cuba.

Over 180 metric tonnes of sugar has been donated to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The sugar will be mixed into a nutritious daily mid-morning snack – dumplings made from a blend of corn and soy - for school students in rural areas throughout six provinces in the far north and south of Laos, according to a press release from WFP.

The Cuban donation was made possible thanks to a private citizen of Japan, who funded the shipment from Cuba to Laos. In a statement, he expressed his hope that his contribution will play a small part in making the world a better place.

A handover ceremony took place at the Ministry of Education and Sports yesterday, attended by Deputy Minister Lytou Bouapao, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Laos Waldo Reyes Sardinas, and WFP Representative and Country Director to Laos Ms Eri Kudo.

Ms Kudo said during the ceremony “No child should attend school hungry. To reach this goal we work closely with the Lao government and our donors to support rural families.”

“This donation is a great example of South-South cooperation and how WFP is catalysing partnerships between the public and private sector in fighting hunger. Many Latin American countries have in recent years gained expertise in managing their own school meals programmes. Laos can gain valuable knowledge from their experience,” she added.

Mr Lytou said “This is the first time Cuba has supported the WFP-assisted School Meals Programme and this kind of donation is a further example of the strong friendship already uniting our two nations.”

Currently, more than 200,000 pre-primary and primary school children in remote villages in Phongsaly, Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu benefit from the WFP-assisted school meals programme. Every day, they receive a nutritious mid-morning snack to ease hunger and help them concentrate on their lessons.

Additional food support is given to more than 4,500 informal boarders – students who live far from school and have to make an extra effort to attend every day, with many of them staying in boarding facilities or with relatives. At the beginning and end of the school year, take-home rations of rice are given to support their families and help them continue with their education.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. In 2011, WFP Laos provided 8,800 tonnes of food to more than 610,000 people throughout the country.

News Desk
Vientiane Times



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