WFP and Government of Bangladesh Deliver High-Energy Biscuits to School Children Affected by COVID-19 School Closures

DHAKA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is working with the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to distribute take-home food rations to nearly 3 million school children across Bangladesh who are missing out on their school meals due to school closures caused by the spread of the coronavirus.

“COVID-19 has affected thousands of families’ access to affordable, nutritious food,” said Md. Akram Al Hossain, Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Bangladesh Government.

“With our partnership with WFP, we are protecting vulnerable children from malnutrition and also helping their families cope with the impact of the crisis by sending food to their homes” he added.

“In this challenging time, it is imperative to ensure that school children and their families continue to receive support that addresses their food and nutritional needs,” says Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Bangladesh. “We thank the Government for keeping this critical source of nutrition available to children by making this adjustment to its school feeding program.”

From now until the end of June, more than 7,400 metric tons of high-energy biscuits will be delivered to children at home. Children from 15,200 primary schools across 104 regions of the country will receive 75-gram packets of biscuits, with WFP distributing them in 10 regions of Cox’s Bazar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the Directorate of Primary Education in 94 regions.

With schools closed, school children across the country are left without the meals they regularly received at school, for many – their only meal of the day. High-energy biscuits are rich in vitamins and nutrients that are essential for their growth and development.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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