INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
France has allocated 3 million euros ($3.3 million) from its Food Assistance Program (FAP), to support the World Food Programme&s (WFP)
school feeding and nutrition programs in Afghanistan, the UN agency said Thursday.Over 15,000 Afghan primary school girls and boys will
receive a healthy daily school snack, and more than 35,000 will get monthly take-home rations of vegetable oil to improve the nutrition of
an entire family.Additionally, nearly 60,000 young children and more than 10,000 pregnant or breastfeeding mothers will receive specialized
nutritious food.&More than three-quarters of all families in Afghanistan cannot afford a nutritious diet that would keep them from falling
into malnutrition,& said Salina Grenet-Catalano, director of global affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs .&France
prioritizes the fight against malnutrition as it prepares to host the next Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris in March 2025
We remain committed to standing by the people of Afghanistan, offering support where needed most,& she said.Due to a funding crisis this
year, WFP could not provide two million women and children with food to prevent malnutrition.
Last year, funding shortages forced WFP to
withdraw 10 million people from food assistance, leading to increased malnutrition rates and placing entire provinces at risk of falling
back into emergency levels of malnutrition.&This contribution comes at a critical moment for Afghan mothers and children who are hardest hit
by the hunger crisis,& said Harald Mannhardt, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan.&Afghanistan is a global hunger hotspot with more
than a quarter of the population going hungry and nine out of ten women-headed families cannot afford enough food.&This latest contribution
of 3 million euros (US$3.3 million) from France brings their contribution to 6 million euros (US$6.5 million) in 2024.Building on the last
two years& contributions of almost US$16 million, France remains among the top ten contributors to WFP in Afghanistan. The post France
pledges €3 million to boost nutritional aid for Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
