School feeding programme receives $1.6m support

Ghana is to benefit from a $1.6 million food project to support the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).

This follows an agreement signed in Beijing, China, between the World Food Programme (WFP) and the HNA Group – a leading China-based corporation - to fight hunger globally.

More than 180,000 schoolchildren in Ghana are benefiting from the GSFP.

The school meals encourage parents to send their children to school and help the pupils to concentrate better in class.

A statement issued by the WFP said its Executive Director, Ms Ertharin Cousin and HNA Group Chairman, Mr Chen Feng, jointly signed the agreement for their respective organisations.

It said Mr Cheng expressed the group's interest in helping similar projects in other African countries as well as raising additional funds from its corporate partners, investors, customers and employees.

“HNA is committed to investing in economic development in Africa, particularly through a programme such as WFP school meals, which helps children receive the education they need to become active and productive members of society. We're proud to support WFP's work in Ghana, and we look forward to future collaboration around the continent,” said Mr Chen Feng.

For her part, Ms Cousin was quoted as saying that “As a country that has so successfully brought millions of its own people out of poverty, China is perfectly positioned to take a leading role in the global fight against hunger.”

“We welcome the efforts of HNA Group to invest in the future of Ghanaian children, and we hope their support will serve as an inspiration for others,” she added.

The statement estimated that more than 66 million children of primary school age around the world went to school hungry.

Story by Ghana/Daily Graphic