As the COVID-19 crisis pushes up levels of hunger among the poor worldwide, the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) are urging national governments to prevent devastating nutrition and health consequences for the 370 million children missing out on school meals amid school closures.
WFP, UNICEF in a joint press statement on Friday, are appealing for US$ 600 million to support 10 million children in 30 low-income or fragile countries in line
with the UNESCO-led Global Education Coalition, a global push to ensure children keep learning despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19.
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David Beasley, WFP Executive Director said “For millions of children around the world, the meal they get at school is the only meal they get in a day. Without it, they go hungry, they risk falling sick, dropping out of school and losing their best chance of escaping poverty. We must act now to prevent the health pandemic from becoming a hunger catastrophe”.
He further stressed that school meals are especially critical for girls as the promise of a meal in many poor countries can be enough to make struggling parents send their daughter to school, allowing her to escape heavy domestic duties or early marriage.
“School is so much more than a place of learning. For many children it is a lifeline to safety, health services and nutrition. Unless we act now by scaling up lifesaving services for the most vulnerable children, the devastating fallout caused by COVID-19 will be felt for decades to come,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
“Alongside school meal programmes, children in poor countries often benefit from health and nutrition services such as vaccinations, deworming and iron supplementation delivered through their schools”.
“In response to a recent report from the United Nations Secretary-General, which highlighted the number of children missing out on school meals, WFP and UNICEF are working with governments to support children who are out of school during the crisis”.
“In 68 countries, governments and WFP are providing children with take-home rations, vouchers or cash transfers as an alternative to school meals”.
The statement shows that WFP and UNICEF under the partnership will assist governments in the coming months to ensure that when schools reopen, children benefit from school meals, health and nutrition programs as well as provide an incentive for parents to send their children back to school.
“The agencies are also working together to track children in need of school meals through an online School Meals map”.
