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WFP expands school feeding scheme in Afghanistan with help of EU
The European Union is allocating an additional EUR 10 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for school feeding activities in Afghanistan.
This will allow WFP to expand school feeding into three additional provinces with high levels of food insecurity in primary schools, the organization said Wednesday in a statement.
“Hunger can be a barrier to education. The additional EU funding to our long-standing partner WFP ensures that more children in Afghanistan receive nutritious food. This is essential for them to have the energy and focus they need to learn effectively and stay healthy.
“And if these meals encourage parents to prioritize school attendance, this is benefiting everyone”, said Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires to Afghanistan.
Thanks to the additional EU funding, WFP will be able to distribute fortified biscuits or locally produced nutritious school snacks to pupils in more than 10,000 schools in the eight provinces of Farah, Ghor, Jawzjan, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktika, Uruzgan and Zabul.
In addition, school girls in grades 4 to 6 will receive take-home rations including vegetable oil or cash for their families. In three provinces with especially low enrolment rates for boys, boys in grades 4 to 6 will receive take-home rations. These rations improve the nutrition of the whole family and encourage families to keep children in school.
“WFP in Afghanistan launched its school feeding programme more than two decades ago to link food security and better nutrition with education”, said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan.
“Last year, WFP supported 1.5 million school-aged children through this programme and the European Union has been a key partner in helping us reach them.”
Expanding the range of in-school meals, WFP will for the first time in Afghanistan test the local production of vegetarian samosas from fortified local ingredients through a network of local bakeries.
A planned 2,000 children will receive two samosas per school day baked with pumpkin, spinach or egg, and potato or soya beans, as a protein-rich and nutritious snack.
In Afghanistan, school feeding activities have had a positive impact on school participation and learning and help families enroll and keep their children in schools.
For poor families globally, the value of meals in schools can be up to one tenth of household income, and several children enrolled in a school can translate into substantial savings for the family.
This latest top-up by the EU follows an earlier contribution of EUR 20.9 million towards WFP’s school feeding programme in Afghanistan for the years 2022 and 2023.
The funding comes at a timely moment and averts WFP having to downsize its school feeding programme this year due to lack of funding.
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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff
Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”
Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.
He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.
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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India
Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.
The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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