Economy

UN agency to stop funding feeding plan in schools

FOOD

WFP has been feeding more than 1.5 million children across the country. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The World Food Programme (WFP) will in 2019 stop funding the schools feeding programme, leaving more than 1.5 million children in arid and semi-arid regions at risk of dropping out of learning.

WFP Deputy Country Director Paul Turnbull said the feeding project was gradually being handed over to the government and it will exit the food plan in two years on funding shortages.

The lack of cash has recently hit WFP forcing the UN body in December to halve food rations offered to more than 400,000 refugees in Kenya.

Insufficient funding forced WFP to reduce the size of refugees’ food rations by 50 per cent in December 2016. Prolonged ration cuts compromise refugees’ food consumption, nutrition and health.

Since 1980s, the WFP has been feeding more than 1.5 million children across the country by providing lunch through funding from various countries and organisations.

Mr Turnbull said they have been assisting many children in several counties but that WFP has lately been unable to provide food for the schools.