WFP supports Girl’s Education in Yemen [Archives:2007/1038/Local News]

SANA'A, March 29 ) Information from UN World Food Programme in Yemen on the occasion of signing the Education Component Action Plan between WFP and the Ministry of Education to launch the new Country Programme (2007-2011).

The Ministry of Education represented by the Minister of Education Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Jawfi and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) represented by Dr. Mohamed El-Kouhene WFP Representative in Yemen today signed the Country Programme Action Plan for the Education Component for the period 2007-2011. This is the main activity of the U.S.$ 48 million Country Programme that was signed last week between the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and WFP.

In accordance with WFP policy on development, education activity will enable poor households to invest in human capital through education and training. The overall goal is to increase gender equity in terms of access to and completion of basic education, through increased enrolment rates, stabilized attendance and reduced female students' dropout rates.

The food provided by WFP will constitute an appreciable income transfer for beneficiary households, especially for the average targeted household with more than one daughter enrolled in WFP- assisted schools. The programme will annually benefit an average of 95,000 schoolgirls in the targeted areas. It will provide girls with better chances in education. Food aid acts as incentives to encourage families to enrol their daughters in both basic and secondary schools.

With a budget of U.S.$ 31 million , some 76,000 metric tons of food will be distributed to the schools in the poor districts that have been identified by the recent food security survey conducted by WFP and the Government.

The Education component in this new Country Programme will target in addition to girls in basic schools, girls studying in grades 9-12 thus reducing the drop out rates and avoiding early marriage.

Thanks to a tripartite agreement signed between WFP, UNICEF and WHO, joint activities will be implemented in WFP targeted schools , which should optimize the impact of the programme.
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