The Department of Education and Literacy, through the school lunch Directorate (DCS), presented on Thursday 1 st July 2021, the top 50 groups Coast ‘Ivoire mobilized around school canteens, a set of agricultural equipment and materials, at the central store of the DCS in Yopougon in Abidjan.
These are 22 motorcycles tricycles, four multi-function shredders, four rice or coffee shellers, 20 mobile shredders, 20 cassava presses and various small agricultural tools, worth FCFA 105 million which served as a reward for the 50 groups. of the 900 mobilized around school canteens in Côte d’Ivoire.
For the director of school canteens, Karidia Koné Soukoulé, this set of equipment will make it possible to produce, transport and transform the products of the groups, in order to lighten their tasks and bring added value to their production.
“In turn, they will make it possible to fight against the midday hunger of the pupils, to reduce the drop-out and to contribute to their maintenance in the education system”, specified Mrs. Koné.
While welcoming the development actors for the sustainability of school canteens, the representative of the Minister of National Education noted that the national school feeding program provides a “quantitative and qualitative solution” to the problems of hunger in schools. and school dropout.
A view of agricultural equipment and materials offered to beneficiaries
He therefore founded the hope that the beneficiary groups will make good use of the materials received and will be mobilized more, in order to promote school feeding based on local products and by-products for the happiness of students, producers. , traders, transporters and all populations.
On behalf of the beneficiary groups, Mrs. Kouakou You Elisabeth expressed all her gratitude because “this equipment will considerably lighten our tasks and will allow us to improve our harvests, give added value to our productions and increase our income”.
She signified that these donations encourage them to work more, to increase their efforts for “the well-being of families, the sustainability of school canteens and for a healthy and regular diet in order to keep children in school”.
With 277 canteens in 1989, the number of school canteens rose to 5,600 in 2020 with a coverage rate of over 43% of public primary schools. These canteens offer a hot and balanced meal at noon to 1.03,511 primary school pupils. In collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), the School Canteens Directorate aims to ensure the best possible hygiene, safety and catering for Ivorian students.
Source: Agence Ivoirienne de presse