KPL
(KPL) The government of Japan has extended grant aid worth US$3.2 million (Y350 million) to the Lao PDR through the United Nations World Food Programme.
Mr Iwaro Horii (R) shakes hands with Mr Hakan Tongul after signing an agreement in Vientiane on Sep 18, 2018
(KPL) The government of Japan has extended grant aid worth US$3.2 million (Y350 million) to the Lao PDR through the United Nations World Food Programme.
The Japanese donation of canned fish and rice will support increased access to food for vulnerable communities and households in remote rural areas through WFP school meals and community resilience building.
An agreement on the grant assistance was signed in Vientiane on Sep 18 by Mr Iwaro Horii, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Hakan Tongul, Deputy Country Director General and Deputy Represent of WFP Laos.
Mr Bounphanh Xaymountry, Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Takeshi Hikihara, Japanese Ambassador to Laos, and relevant officials of both sides witnessed the signing event.
“The canned fish donation from the government of Japan and its people to the school meals programme in Laos is numerous amount, particularly this 460 MTS which is equivalent to US$ 3.2 million and 260 MTs of rice to the target communities are huge cost,” said Mr Bounphanh Xaymountry.
“Children in seven provinces include Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang , Saravan, Xekong and Attapeu which are implementing the school lunch programme will directly benefit from this amount of canned fish. It is well recognized that School Meals is a strategy and incentive to attract and send children to schooling and also to alleviate the poverty and to reduce the malnutrition situation in the country,” said Mr Bounphanh.
“The eradication of malnutrition is one of the most important policy issues here in the Lao PDR,” said Mr Iwaro Horii.
“Although both the School Lunch Programme and the Rice Bank programme systems themselves will be introduced by the WRP with the assistance of the government of Japan, it is really important to make sure that the systems will be operated sustainable by the local people on their own initiative,” said Mr Iwaro.
“Japan is contributing approximately 460 metric tons of canned fish for school meals to 140,000 school children and 250 metric tons of rice to be used for rice banks establishment benefiting up to 62,500 individuals,” said Mr Hakan Tongul.
“Japan’s excellent partnership with the World Food Programme in the Lao PDR enables us to work towards achieving zero hunger by 2030,” added Tongul.
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