By Bisola Adeyemo
Grace Kwiyucwiny, minister of state in charge of northern Uganda, hailed the Chinese government for a donation of relief food worth 2 million U.S. dollars to the World Food Program (WFP) as an effort to prevent hunger in the region that faces food security problems.
Abdirahman Meygag, the WFP representative to Uganda, said the Chinese donation will enable many Uganda children to stay focused while in school learning.
He said the Chinese donation has enabled WFP to stick to its goal of feeding school children many, thus children who would go hungry and fail to study while at home.
Kwiyucwiny also said the donation comes at the right time as the government has finally moved to reopen schools after they have been locked due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The food aid agency figures show that about 98 percent of households who received the take-home ration say that it enabled the children to learn better at home besides reducing the household’s overall expenditure on food, Xhinua said.
When the food is delivered at home, it reduces the time children go out looking for what to eat instead of concentrating on learning, Meygag said.
According to WFP, the food is purchased from the local farmers so as to stimulate the local economy.
At the ceremony, Zhang Lizhong, Chinese ambassador to Uganda, said that China is committed to supporting Uganda’s future workforce because, without the support they need, many children would go hungry and fail to study while at home
“The take-home ration is our simple message to every child in Karamoja: Stay in school and you will have food. With food, you can study hard so that you can feed yourself and contribute to building your nation in the future,” Zhang said.