VIENTIANE – A delegation of representatives from the United States Embassy in Lao PDR, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has completed a three-day visit to Saravane Province where they observed activities under WFP’s School Meals programme.

 

The visit followed a generous US$10 million contribution by the United States to WFP’s School Meals programme, which provides daily nutritious snacks to 150,000 schoolchildren in six provinces in Lao PDR.

"School meals have been shown to be an effective way to encourage parents to send their children – especially girls – to school," said WFP Representative and Country Director to Lao PDR Eri Kudo. "Education is vital to break the cycle of under-nutrition: educated children grow into adults who produce and earn more, and are more likely to be able to provide enough of the right food to their own children."

During the three-day trip, U.S. Ambassador, H.E. Karen B. Stewart, Vice Minister of Education and Sports, H.E. Lytou Bouapao, and WFP’s Eri Kudo, visited the villages of Ban Nabone in Laongam District and Ban Na in Toumlan District to take part in the preparation and the distribution of food to schoolchildren and see for themselves the positive impact of the programme.

The visit was part of the joint effort by the U.S. Embassy and WFP to raise awareness of malnutrition in Lao PDR. Malnutrition is the single biggest contributing factor to infant mortality in the country and can cause long-term damage to brains and bodies from childhood. WFP and the U.S. Embassy are committed to working with other development partners to identify and develop effective solutions to address malnutrition.

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Photo: U.S. Ambassador, H.E. Karen B. Stewart, and Vice Minister of Education and Sports, H.E. Lytou Bouapao, participated in the mid-morning snacks cooking and preparation for schoolchildren in Ban Nabone, Laongam district, Saravane province.
Photo Credit: WFP/ Viengsone Phimmasone  

VIENTIANE – More than 150,000 pre-primary and primary school students will get a boost of energy every day to help them concentrate better on their studies, thanks to a contribution from Cuba of more than 180 metric tons of sugar to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) which was made possible by the generosity of a private Japanese donor.

The sugar will be mixed in to a nutritious daily mid-morning snack –  dumplings made from a blend of corn and soy - for school students in rural areas throughout six provinces in the far north and south of Laos.

The Cuban donation was made possible thanks to a private citizen of Japan, who funded the shipment from Cuba to Laos. In a statement, he expressed his hope that his contribution will play a small part in making the world a better place.

A handover ceremony held at the Ministry of Education and Sports today was attended by Vice Minister of Education and Sports, H.E. Mr. Lytou Bouapao, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba, H.E. Mr. Waldo Reyes Sardinas, and WFP Representative and Country Director to Lao PDR, Eri Kudo.

 

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Photo: H.E. Mr. Waldo Reyes Sardinas, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba (centre) gave sugar to H.E. Mr. Lytou Bouapao, Vice-Minister of Education and Sports (left) for WFP-assisted School Meals Programme in Lao PDR, witnessed by Ms. Eri Kudo, WFP Representative and Country Director to Lao PDR (right) and other government officials and media representatives at the  handover ceremony of 180 metrics of sugar at the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Photo credit: WFP/Bounmee Maokhamphiou

VIENTIANE – The fight against malnutrition in Lao PDR has taken a significant step forward with the roll out of a new nutrition training course to boost the number of professionals equipped with key knowledge and skills, and enable them to pass these on to their peers.

Forty-nine men and women from provincial health departments and non-governmental organisations have recently completed the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Feeding the Future nutrition training of trainers.

“To help Lao PDR become a country free from undernutrition, raising awareness and sharing knowledge is essential”, said Paul Howe, WFP Lao PDR Deputy Country Director. “Working with our partners in the Lao Government and NGOs, we are able to reach more people in remote rural communities, where improvements in the area of nutrition are needed the most.”

The trainers are now fully qualified to empower villagers throughout Lao PDR to improve their diets by educating them about the dangers of malnutrition and how to prevent it. They are also equipped to monitor and evaluate progress, and to continue working with villagers in regular refresher trainings.

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Photo: Feeding the Future training participants test one of the nutrition games they will use in village trainings.
Photo Credit: WFP/ Bounmee Maokhamphiou

VIENTIANE – Nutrition is at the heart of the new Country Programme for Lao PDR approved by the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome during its Second Regular Session from 14 to 17 November 2011.

The Country Programme details WFP’s projects to fight malnutrition in Lao PDR in the years 2012 to 2015. The projects to improve the nutrition and food security of more than 750,000 men, women and children in the country will require US$69 million in funding to be fully implemented.

WFP is working to help Lao PDR become free from undernutrition and its debilitating impact on human potential and national development. WFP will work with partners in the Health, Education and Agriculture sectors to address the full range of factors affecting under-nutrition.

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PHOTO: Improving nutrition for mothers and young children is one of the central pillars of the new WFP Country Strategy in Lao PDR.  Credit: WFP/Annika Harald

VIENTIANE – For the first time in Lao PDR, close to 1,000 primary school children will receive a healthy and balanced school lunch prepared from foods bought at their local market.  Their village schools are the first to participate in a new Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) project implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Government of Lao PDR. The pilot is generously supported by the Australian Government, who made funding available to conduct a baseline survey, support programme design and produce training materials.

During the past week, officials from the Lao Ministry of Education (MOE) have been trained on the principles of HGSF and healthy nutrition.  Activities will be piloted in nine villages across Phongsaly and Oudomxay provinces from March to May 2011.

WFP Media Release_English Language

WFP Media Release_Lao Language

In Lao PDR, about 157,000 pre-primary and primary school students children living in remote villages benefit from the WFP-assisted school meals programme. Photo Credit: WFP/Cornelia Paetz