The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said in a statement on Wednesday that it received a “generous contribution of €1.5 million from the Italian Cooperation to support the school meals program that provides nutritious meals and snacks for over 100,000 boys and girls in 185 public schools across Lebanon.”
It stated that the program, closely coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, was launched in 2016 to boost students’ health, learning and access to education. The program first reached 10,000 schoolchildren in 22 primary public schools and has steadily expanded, the statement reads.
“I have witnessed this program grow exponentially over the past few years, now reaching ten times more students than it used to,” says WFP Representative and Country Director in Lebanon Abdallah Alwardat, adding, “we are grateful for the generous contribution and commitment of the people and Government of Italy who have stood by the School Meals Program in Lebanon since its inception.”
Beyond its reach, the program also strengthened ties with local businesses and links to other WFP programs. Almost all the food ingredients for school meals and snacks are now locally produced and procured, supporting the local economy, retail shop owners and farmers.
In a significant development, WFP also supported the efforts of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to join the School Meals Coalition in August 2023, which serves as a crucial forum to drive actions to enhance and scale national school meals programs by 2030, the statement reads.
Italy has been supporting WFP Lebanon with funds totaling over $12.7 million since 2016 and has been steadily supporting the School Meals Program each year since its launch.
