Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) - In many countries, the most economically disadvantaged, if one wants to increase attendance and enrollment in schools it is essential to provide school meals. In addition, this type of initiative also provides an incentive for parents to send their children to school, in particular girls. To cope with this phenomenon, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Brazil have announced the creation of a "Center par excellence against hunger", which aims to help countries improve, expand, and eventually manage their own school feeding programs to make sure that students’ nutrition, education and food security improve. Brazil has dealt with the fight against hunger and malnutrition very firmly and is among the countries that are facing this problem more quickly than any other country in the world.
The Centre par excellence, based in the capital Brasilia, will assist other governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America, using the experience of WFP and Brazil in the fight against hunger, and promoting models of school feeding and other social safety nets against hunger. Governments will also be able to develop and improve their programs at a national level, thanks to the possibility to access a global platform to exchange information about school food and the best techniques used for school feeding programs. Brazil is known for its success thanks to "Fome Zero" (Zero Hunger), the strategy to reduce poverty and food insecurity, and thanks to its school feeding programs, which was attended by about 45 million children a year. Every day, WFP provides food to some 22 million students in 60 countries worldwide. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 08/11/2011)
