Funded by World Food ProgramSchool nutrition project doubles number of girls joining schools [Archives:2004/732/Business & Economy]

The project of school nutrition implemented by the ministry of education and financed by the World Food Program (WFP) contributes to increase in number of girls enrolled at basic education schools in Yemen. Officials say that the rates of those girls joining schools have risen in the academic year 2003-2004 by 50% since the beginning of the program in 2003.
The government says the project is part of the strategy for fighting poverty and a plan aimed at urging girls to join basic education especially in the areas suffering from poverty and that include 17 governorates and 88 districts where the mothers and children are given help by building more health centers in order to narrow the gap of food.
General Manager of the project of school nutrition Hamoud al-Akhram is of the view that implementation of the project helps prevent truancy of girls from schools, under the pressure of the need for their staying at home. He says the project provides those girls with wheat and oil and is part of the rapid course of education plan. The general manager also says that during the present season there would be a distribution of 255.096 sacks of wheat, 57.134 cartons of cooking oil to be distributed among 119.055 girl students from 1334 schools from 85 districts of 17 governorates, namely, Hajjah, Thamar, Baidha', Taiz, Dhalie, Amran, Lahj, Shabwa, Abyan, Mahweet, Mareb, Sana'a, Ibb, Hadramout, Hudeidah, and al-Jawf.
The food shares would also be distributed among girls of basic education in the island of Socotra as well as the teachers in the schools included in the project. Both sexes teachers included in the project of school nutrition would amount to 9933 teachers who would receive 19866 food shares.
Deputy executive director of the WFP who has visited Yemen said the project succeeded in achieving its goals because it took into consideration requirements of the family to encourage girls to join education.
The number of expectant mothers who obtained assistance at health centers, as part of the project activities, amounted to 136 thousand women from those classified as suffering from malnutrition. Therefore the project has succeeded in doubling the number of girls joining basic education in Yemen.
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