Over the last ten years Russia has allocated over $86 million for the school feeding program in Tajikistan implemented by the UN World Food Program (WFP). Russian Ambassador to the republic Semyon Grigoryev said this on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the School Nutrition Center under Tajikistan's Ministry of Education and Science, TASS correspondent reported.
"In December 2022, the Russian Federation allocated additional $4 million to the WFP to purchase food for Tajik schoolchildren. With this contribution, the total amount of funds provided by Russia for the implementation of the school feeding program in Tajikistan now exceeds $86 million," said the diplomat. According to him, this clearly demonstrates Russia's attention to supporting "the youngest generation of the brotherly and allied Tajikistan."
The WFP school feeding program in Tajikistan has been running since 2013 in 2,000 schools in 52 districts and cities. It is expected that it will gradually be taken over by the country's authorities. "The center, we are opening today, for the creation of which $200,000 has been allocated, has a key role to play in this process," the ambassador specified. He said that the center premises are repaired, modern equipment is bought, and the work of the center employees is partially paid with these funds.
The diplomat explained that for the entire period of the program implementation, 50 school canteens were repaired and equipped with modern equipment, nine greenhouses, five bakeries and one food factory operate on their basis. In addition, eight more bakeries, which cooperate with local schools, have been equipped within the framework of a public-private partnership.
The school nutrition center under the Ministry of education and science of Tajikistan opened on Wednesday. The ceremony was also attended by officials from the Ministry and WFP Country Director Adham Musallam. The center was established to coordinate the school feeding system. The program currently serves more than half a million schoolchildren who receive hot meals daily. As part of the program, the school nutrition system is being modernized, including the renovation and construction of school canteens, bakeries and greenhouses.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS