WFP gets dates worth $160K from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support schools in South Sudan

A contribution of dates worth around USD 160,000 has been given by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations World Food Programme. This support is to strengthen feeding activities in South Sudan.

The dates, rich in nutrients, will be used to complement meals provided to some 15,000 school going children in over 25 schools in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update, between now and the end of the year some 4.5 million people in South Sudan cannot put food on their tables. The Greater Upper Nile continues to be the most food insecure area, and in need of urgent humanitarian support to save people’s lives, especially in the wake of recent flooding in parts of the region.

“WFP is grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this timely gesture. The dates are not only a healthy snack but will give the much-needed dietary support to school children receiving school meals. Providing meals in schools is the best opportunity children can access to education, health and nutrition at the same time,” Matthew Hollingworth World Food Programme’s Country Director in South Sudan opined, as revealed by the official website of World Food Programme.

South Sudan has the highest proportion of out-of-school children in the world with around 2.2 million children not enrolled in schools, partly due to food insecurity in their communities. World Food Programme (WFP) is providing school meals to some 500,000 school children in 1,045 schools across the country and provides take home food packages to encourage parents to send and keep children in schools.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important partner to WFP, contributing assistance to a wide range of crises across the world. In 2018, WFP received USD 239.4 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support its activities across the world.