MONROVIA – United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in collaboration with Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education has officially launched the COVID-19 crisis response assistance to vulnerable school-going children and their families.
The project is being funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and is the first take-home ration to be handed over to food-insecure school children and their families by the Embassy of China in Liberia.
At the launch of the program in Wein Town, Paynesville on Wednesday, Education Minister Ansu Sonii said with the Government of China support in providing the US$2 million funding, WFP will assist 55,250 pre-primary and primary schoolchildren and their households with a one-time two month ration of rice.
He cautioned parents against using their children to make ends meet on grounds, using poverty as an excuse.
Minister Sonii said instead of children being used as breadwinners, while their friends are going ahead in school, parents must do all they can to ensure they go to school.
He said President George Weah is highly concern about the need for every child across Liberia to enter school without being hungry.
At the same time, Prof. Sonii cautioned parents against keeping their children hungry while they are in school.
For her part, WFP Representative and Country Director Parvathy Ramaswami said the project, which is being implemented by WFP, in close collaboration with GOL, will provide take-home rations to 55,250 pre-primary and primary school children and their household members in Montserrado, Maryland and Nimba Counties.
“Today, we are here to witness the handover of a generous US$2 million donation from the Government of the People Republic of China to schoolchildren of Liberia and their families,” Madam Ramaswami noted.
According to her, many families across Liberia in recent years, have found it increasingly difficult to meet their daily nutrition needs.
This, according to Ramaswami, can also be attributed to onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic which has further exacerbated the situation.
However, she believes these take-home rations provided to school children and family by WFP through support from China aims at reducing the impact of the COVID-19 socio-economic shocks on vulnerable girls and boys and their family.
The WFP Country Representative then lauded the Government of China for their support in providing safety net for school children in Liberia at a time when they need it most.
Ramaswami at the same time commended the Ministry of Education and other relevant ministries as well as colleagues from WFP for facilitating the handover of the food assistance and for organizing the event.
She said the project, which is being implemented by WFP, in close collaboration with GOL, will provide take-home rations to 55,250 pre-primary and primary school children and their household members in Montserrado, Maryland and Nimba Counties. Each student household will receive a two-month ration of rice, intended to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the students and their families. Thanks to the support of China, more than 276,250 Liberians will receive food assistance through this critical intervention.
“Due to families income losses and rising food prices as a result of the socio-economic shocks of COVID-19, children across the country often go to sleep hungry or are sent out to work to help provide for their families instead of being sent to school,” Ramaswami noted.
She added: “Most of their families are increasingly concern about where their next meal will come from. This intervention will help school children and family address the food gap and reduce the adverse impact on their school attendance and learning.”
She at the same time commended the Ministry of Education and other relevant ministries as well as colleagues from WFP for facilitating the handover of the food assistance and for organizing the event.