Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Saudia Arabia donated 792 tons of dates to 396,000 schoolchildren of Bangladesh.
Many of Bangladesh’s poorest students and their families are receiving dates,thanks to a contribution from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, or KSrelief, to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), said a press releases.
The dates was distributed in the poorest areas of the disaster-prone districts of Gaibandha, Kurigram, Satkhira and Bagerhat, through take-home rations in WFP’s school feeding programme.
WFP is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
“In continuation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those who need it most regardless where they are, this dates donation is in support of our brethren in Bangladesh,” said Mr Fahad Al-Osaimy, Director of Emergency Aid at KSrelief, at a handover ceremony in Dhaka on Sunday.
“From previous donations we know that these dates really are a highlight for the children and
their families,” said WFP Representative Ms Christa Räder, extending WFP’s gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s generous support to Bangladesh.
Even as more people nowadays can afford to prioritize education for their children – sons and daughters alike – many still face difficulties in providing them with nutritious food.
Hunger and nutritional deficiencies can hamper children’s education and job prospects.
WFP supports the Government-led school feeding scheme which has grown to cover more than 3 million children nationally. In parallel, WFP’s own programme focuses on other extremely poor rural and urban areas to provide more than 500,000 pre- and primary schoolchildren with a packet of nutritious biscuits each day they attend school.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a long history of supporting WFP in Bangladesh and worldwide, including through relief operations in the aftermath of disasters.
BBN/SK/AD