How a Simple Cheese Sandwich Added $1.3M to Aleppo’s Economy
In a prefabricated classroom in Aleppo city, students of different ages lean over their notebooks, pen or pencil in hand, writing their lessons or drawing pictures. Nearly a decade of conflict has left a trail of devastation in the city, but children are now back in school to learn and grow.
Their concentration is broken by a dinner lady bringing in fresh snacks packs, triggering instant excitement. The children happily receive their packages and begin to munch away.
Hajar bites into a yummy cheese sandwich. She may be young, but she knows the value of education and nutrition. “I learn better in class after my meal,” she says.
Hajar’s sandwich does more than give her the energy to focus in school. The United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) freshly-prepared meals initiative also benefits the local economy, creating a domino effect of opportunity and hope that touches the lives of everyone across the supply chain, from producer to consumer.
Boys in Aleppo hold bread from a U.N. World Food Programme-contracted bakery.
Just as the taste and nutritional value of the snacks result from the combination of different ingredients, it’s the coming together of different members of the community — the farmers and bakers who provide their fresh products, the traders and transporters who make them available, the factory workers who package them – that allows the school feeding program to flourish.
Samer provides the bread for the sandwiches. He lost his bakery several years ago because of the conflict, but now he is back in business. With the fortified wheat flour he receives from the U.N. World Food Programme, he bakes fresh bread for the daily school meals of 10,000 school children.
WFP supports the rehabilitation of bakeries, including to provide fresh bread for school feeding programs.
The cheese, called labna, and thyme in the sandwiches come from small and medium-sized traders who receive funds from the U.N. World Food Programme to buy fresh produce from local farmers in rural Aleppo. The farmers also grow vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes which make the sandwiches more nutritious — and tastier.
All these fresh ingredients come together at the local factory of the U.N. World Food Programme’s partner Namaa’. Here, 50 widowed women wash and peel the fruits and vegetables, wrap the sandwiches and package the meals by hand.
While the war has affected the lives of all Syrians, the burden of survival is even greater on women, many of whom have lost their spouses, being left as the breadwinners of large families. It is hard for women to find jobs — and even more so for those who have never worked before as they relied on their husbands.
The U.N. World Food Programme sandwich packaging facility employs 50 local women who have been widowed in the war.
All of the 50 women preparing the sandwiches have suffered a great loss and have used their employment for the U.N. World Food Programme school feeding program to pull themselves and their families up from the wreckage.
Ola is the mother of four children. She lost her husband during the conflict. “My children are fully dependent on me,” she says.
Before being employed by the sandwich factory, Ola had to pull her eldest son out of school for some time to help her cover the costs of living. Now, she and her co-workers enjoy the security of a steady income. Not only are they supporting the future of their community by helping kids stay in school, but they are also gaining a new sense of self-confidence and self-reliance.
Ola beams with pride as she recounts her latest achievements:
“With the steady income, I can provide for my family and I enrolled my son back in school,” she says. “I am even able to give the little ones some pocket money,” she smiles.
The benefits of this program are evident — not just for the students.
Knowing their children will have safe, nutritious food at school is a relief for Syrian families struggling to rebuild their lives.
Their families now can spend less of their income on food, knowing that their children will receive a daily meal that is not only nutritious but also safe, thanks to the U.N. World Food Programme ‘s work to ensure it is prepared according to strict hygiene standards and procedures.
Before the U.N. World Food Programme’s school feeding project started, local farmers only sold 220 pounds of produce on any given day. Now, they supply traders with 880 pounds of food every day to cover the requirements of the project. This four-fold increase has invigorated the local market, injected $1.3 million into the city’s economy, and created employment opportunities.
On a visit to Aleppo, the Director of the U.N. World Food Programme’s School Feeding Service highlighted the community element of the project “From the producers, to the traders, the factory workers and the transporters delivering the meals — school feeding programs extend into the heart of the community and make a lasting impact.”
School feeding programs help children concentrate on their studies, so they can have a brighter future.
“More children are returning to school and those that have returned are staying for much longer. They are always excited to get their lunch. It’s the highlight of their day,” she says.
“As for me, I am happy I can feed not only my own, but also other Syrian children. In a way, they have become my own family.”
This story was written by Marwa Awad and originally appeared on U.N. World Food Programme Insights. To support our programs in conflict zones, click here.
