World Food Program ups grant assistance by $ 29 m to boost nutrition

Wednesday, 22 April 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government has taken effective measures in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP) to improve the health status of children and lactating mothers by recognising the importance of the balanced growth of a child. Accordingly, the World Food Program has agreed to extend the food aid assistance through the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2013-2017). Since WFP and Government of Sri Lanka have recognized the significance of the continuation of this project, WFP has agreed to enhance the grant amount from $ 23,482,866 to $ 52,825,398 and extend this project until end of 2015. For this purpose, an Amendment to the Letter of Understanding was signed at the Ministry of Finance by Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, Secretary, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and Ismail Omer, Representative on behalf of the WFP. The objective of the PRRO program is to strengthen national capacities to address acute malnutrition among children aged from six to 59 months and pregnant, lactating women while improving their food security. The program’s activities are as follows: Food for students under the school meal program; mother – child health and nutrition; food for malnourished children and food for work and food for assets. Accordingly, this program will be implemented in Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna Districts in the Northern Province. The estimated total number of beneficiaries is 254,000.