For their active step in improving the educational sector in the country the deputy minister of education, Martin Sama Banya, has eulogized the World Food Programme (WFP) for feeding school children in seven districts in the country.
They are Kailahun, Pujehun, Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Port Loko, Kambia and Kono.
Launching the WFP new brand titled “Walk the world to feed children” at a ceremony which occasioned at the WFP head office at Tengbeh Town in Freetown, the deputy minister echoed that the efforts made by WFP in terms of school children could not be underestimated.
“Therefore, I wish to say that the ministry of education, science and technology (MEST) up to this moment is very proud to work along with those partners in WFP and their efforts in bringing our children to a clear fold. This clear fold will manifesto in valuation term,” Banya noted, adding that “we have five districts before now with the intervention of WFP and by collection of people donating we have added two more districts”.
He maintained that at this moment “we have 230 pupils in primary schools who have been fed by the WFP …and 184 schools in the seven districts that are supported by WFP”.
Martin Sama Banya asked what might have happened to this number of children and schools if such an organization was not formed to “provide support for our own brothers and sisters all over this country”.
“It is very essential to know that the number of children that are being maintained in schools has improved a lot and there is over 94% increment in the school enrolment because of the intervention of WFP,” he disclosed.
The country director of WFP, Felix Gomez who gave the background to the Walk, said WFP thought that there should be a platform to draw the attention of the public to hunger. He added that, “children’s malnutrition is caused by hunger… AIDS is not only the killer disease but also hunger”.
Mr Gomez revealed that last year the hunger walk that was organized in Sierra Leone raised $41,000 and, that this year they were targeting $50,000 to support their feeding programmes in the seven districts.
The country director stated that, “the aim of the walk’s activities is to increase food security and to provide increment in enrollment and attendant of children in schools”.
Mr Gomez announced that it was very important to mobilize resources to provide for the school feeding programmes.
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