The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Japan will provide daily school meals based on local products to nearly 18,000 children in 80 schools in the West Department in 2025 and 2026, to provide essential nutritional support and improve their education.

Haiti is currently facing an unprecedented food crisis, with 5.4 million people, including 2.3 million children, suffering from acute hunger.

As a long-standing partner of WFP, Japan has consistently supported food assistance and emergency response activities in Haiti, providing life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable populations at risk of food insecurity.

Thanks to the generous contribution of the Japanese people, WFP will continue to develop its school meals program based on local products, which is a vital element of the social safety net in Haiti.

"Japan’s continued commitment to Haiti’s development is invaluable. Their contribution enables WFP to sustain vital school meal programmes, reaching some of the most vulnerable children in the country and offering them hope for a better future," said Wanja Kaaria, WFP Country Director in Haiti. "This partnership not only addresses immediate food needs but also supports long-term development, helping smallholder farmers produce more, improve quality and sell their products."

WFP’s school meals programme is an effective strategy to combat hunger while promoting educational progress. Students who receive school meals through this programme attend school more regularly, perform better and progress to the next grade. In addition, these programmes help reduce child malnutrition, which can have serious consequences on physical, cognitive and emotional development.

In addition, Japan’s contribution will also fund complementary activities such as training in health and hygiene practices for school kitchen staff, to ensure that meals are prepared in optimally safe conditions. This additional training will enable cooks (mostly women) to acquire valuable skills to better care for themselves and their families, thereby reducing the risks associated with diseases. As part of the program, these cooks will also receive compensation for their valuable work, which will allow them to achieve financial independence.

"“Japan is deeply concerned about food insecurity in Haiti reaching record levels while armed group violence escalates," said Nishiuchi Kazuhiko, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Haiti. "This contribution through WFP’s school meals activities is to help make schools healthy and safe places to learn for the children, while boosting local agricultural production under these difficult circumstances."

HL/ HaitiLibre