The World Food Programme (WFP) handed over its school feeding programme in more than 500 schools to the Lao government this week. The handover ceremony took place at Bor village school in Xay district, Oudomxay province, where WFP provides 40,000 plates of food per year to the school’s 200 students.

Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Assoc. Prof. Dr Khamphay Sisavanh, and WFP Executive Director David Beasley were the honoured guests at the ceremony.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Khamphay said school meals have given a generation of children better nutrition and health, helped them grow, develop and achieve success at school.

 “They have also helped to attract more children to school and keep them there. We are deeply grateful to WFP and its supporters for their tireless work in helping us build a stronger nation and giving our children a chance at a better future.”

Executive Director Beasley said “This handover is a perfect example of what can happen when we all work together with one common goal, helping a new generation of children to grow up healthy and educated. It’s a testament to all the work put in by the government, WFP and its partners and donors.”

WFP started the school feeding programme in 2002 to provide nutritious school meals to children who would often come to school on an empty stomach. Since then the programme has expanded to cover more than 140,000 children in 1,450 schools across the country. 

WFP has been working in Laos for the last 45 years. Following the adoption of the government’s National Policy on Promoting School Lunch in May 2014, WFP started to shift its focus from implementing the School Meals Programme to building the capacity of the government and communities. The goal is to hand over the entire programme involving more than 900 schools by 2021.

Starting from the new school year in September, the government will support the programme in 800 schools, including 515 of them handed over by WFP, disbursing 800 kip (US$0.1) per child per day. In addition, WFP will provide continued technical support to ensure sustainability and strengthen local ownership, including installation of school water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, setting up school gardens, community green houses and fishponds. 

FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva and IFAD Regional Director Nigel Brett, who were in Laos for a joint field visit with Executive Director Beasley, were also present at the handover ceremony.

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