afrol News, 25 September - UN World Food Programme (WFP) has today welcomed a historic private sector commitment initiated by Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to support improved food and nutrition for millions of schoolchildren in the world’s least developed countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

YUM! Brands is leading corporate supporter of this initiative, with an unprecedented US$80-million cash pledge to WFP and other hunger-related organisations that will provide millions of meals at school to children over next five years. Of that commitment, US$50 million will support WFP to provide 200 million meals to hungry schoolchildren around world.

“We are so grateful to president Clinton, who acted as catalyst to draw together some of America’s most dynamic corporate actors in this groundbreaking initiative and to YUM!, which set the bar on how companies can make a difference,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, after commitment was announced at annual meeting of Clinton Global Initiative.

WFP said this incredible expression of generosity shows what can be done when private sector joins arms with world’s largest humanitarian organisation to help most vulnerable children in the world.

Several other private organisations made commitments in support of school feeding, ranging from helping American children raise awareness about hunger, to expanded programmes that would increase number of children receiving school meals.

President Clinton also announced a major partnership with WFP to combat intestinal worm infections among children, a huge and debilitating health problem in developing countries. Through this commitment, WFP expects it will reach more than 2 million schoolchildren a year with de-worming tablets.

WFP also announced its own commitment at CGI meeting to provide school meals for an additional one million poor children across the globe, for an entire academic year. In addition, it also committed to bring together 40 top experts in the field of school feeding to identify and promote best practices, particularly to help nations manage impact of high food prices that have driven millions more into hunger and poverty.

WFP is further planning to launch a worldwide competition to stimulate development of innovative, new products (including school feeding products) that are nutrition-packed, sanitary, and locally produced and also to increase local purchase of foods by 10 percent and promote "home grown school feeding."

WFP is world's largest humanitarian agency and UN’s frontline agency for hunger. This year, WFP plans to feed around 90 million people in 80 countries.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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