The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution by the Vodafone Egypt Foundation of US$1.2 million, from which thousands of children, their families and teachers will benefit through the school feeding program sponsored by WFP in Upper Egypt.
A joint statement issued on Wednesday by the WFP and the Vodafone Egypt Foundation said that around 67,000 people living in the poorest areas of Assiut, Fayoum and Beni Suef will benefit from Vodafone’s contribution. WFP will use the funds to provide daily nutritious snacks and monthly food rations for students and their families, in addition to training 300 teachers for the food awareness program.
“Sharing a common belief on the importance of education to every child, WFP and Vodafone Egypt Foundation are partnering on this one-year project targeting Upper Egypt,” said WFP Egypt Representative and Country Director Lubna Alaman. “Vodafone Egypt Foundation is once again extending its support to our school feeding programs in Egypt. Through in-school snacks and monthly take-home rations, WFP encourages parents to enrol and maintain their children in schools,” she added.
“WFP’s school feeding program is one of the most successful projects Vodafone Egypt Foundation supports; it helps underprivileged communities get out of the vicious circle of illiteracy and poverty through promoting education and providing food assistance to families who spend most of their income on food,” said Chairman of Vodafone Egypt Foundation Mohamed Henna. “We aim to contribute towards the sustainable development of Egypt’s less fortunate communities through enhancing education and health.”
There has been a partnership between WFP and the Vodafone Egypt Foundation since 2011. In 2014, approximately 500,000 children and their families took advantage of the school feeding program.
WFP has been establishing partnerships since 2007 with private-sector corporations that finance several activities sponsored by the WFP Country Programme in Egypt. Contributions have reached US$7 million, mainly directed to safety nets established by WFP.
