Indian Wheat Arrives To Feed Afghan Schoolchildren

UN Agency Welcomes Latest Delivery Of Indian Wheat To Feed Afghan Schoolchildren

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed the third major food shipment from India as part of that country's pledge to donate one million tons of wheat to help feed schoolchildren in Afghanistan.

"We are very grateful to the Government of India for this contribution, [which] has made a made a dramatic difference in our efforts to spread school feeding in Afghanistan and improve both the health and educational conditions of many poor Afghan children," said WFP Country Director and Representative Charles Vincent.

The Indian wheat is converted into fortified biscuits with micronutrients that raise children's nutrition and enhance their ability to learn. The latest shipment – totalling 18,000 tons – will boost WFP's plan to cover more than 1.1 million students in 2005.

Meanwhile, as part of WFP's ongoing initiative to spur school enrolment, the agency is providing 500,000 Afghan schoolgirls with four litre tins of cooking oil to take home to their families. To address low enrolment in areas where food insecurity is especially high, the WFP will provide some 350,000 boys and girls 12.5 kilograms of wheat to take home every month.

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