World Food Programme reaches deal to supply food to 185,000 children in Venezuela

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) has signed an agreement with the Government of Venezuela to begin operations to provide the most vulnerable children in the South American country with nutritious school meals, it announced on Tuesday.

The agency’s goal is to reach 185,000 students by year’s end and 1.5 million by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. It estimated the food assistance programme’s annual budget at $190 million.

Humanitarian aid groups have long pushed for the Government of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro to allow WFP to distribute food aid in Venezuela.

The agency has previously worked in the country on a development project in the early 70s and has responded to flooding emergencies in later years.

The development follows Monday’s meeting between WFP Executive Director David Beasley and President Maduro and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

“Our school meals programmes are independent, they’ve always been and separate from any other interference. Not only in Venezuela, but elsewhere that we have worked,” WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri told journalists in Geneva.

Mr Phiri explained that the operation will focus on pre-primary and special education schools, as well as “investing in the rehabilitation of school canteens and training school staff on food safety practices as a means of reaching the wider community”.

In total, there are around eight million children under 14 in Venezuela,” according to WFP, its project coming amid a rise in child malnutrition linked to the spiralling economic crisis in the oil-rich country, soaring food prices and hyperinflation.

“One out of three Venezuelans - which is about 32.3 per cent is food insecure today - and they are in need of assistance” said Mr. Phiri. This includes 2.3 million people who are severely food insecure.

A joint analysis by WFP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in October included Venezuela among 20 countries that were “likely to face potential spikes in high acute food insecurity” over the following three to six months requiring “urgent attention.”

ENDS

STORY: Venezuela School Meals - WFP  

TRT: 02 min 18s 

SOURCE: UNTV CH 

RESTRICTIONS: NONE 

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS 

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 

DATELINE: 20 APRIL 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST 

1. Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a sunny day. 
2. Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations. 
3. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for WFP (UN World Food Programme): “After reaching an agreement with the government, WFP will start a humanitarian operation in Venezuela that will forecast on a school meals programme in areas that are most food insecure. Through a phased approach, WFP will aim to provide daily meals to 1.5 million students by the end of the 2022/2023 school year.”  
4. Medium shot, participant typing on phone, Room XIV, Palais des Nations. 
5. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for WFP (UN World Food Programme): “By the end of 2021, the World Food Programme operation will reach up to 185,000 children. WFP will also invest in the rehabilitation of school canteens and training of school staff on food safety practices as a means of reaching the wider community.”  
6. Medium wide shot, participants sitting in Room XIV, Palais des Nations. 
7. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for WFP (UN World Food Programme): “One out of three Venezuelans, which is about 32.3 per cent is food insecure today and they are in need of assistance. The signing allows the World Food Programme to set up a presence in Venezuela and to start our operation which is focusing on children and schools.”  
8. Medium wide shot, podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations. 
9. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for WFP (UN World Food Programme): “There are some eight million children under the age of 14 in Venezuela. Our plan through a phased approach is to reach 1.5 million children by the end of the 2022/2023 academic year. This will cost us, it will cost WFP approximately 190 million to effectively start and mount an effective response.”  
10. Medium shot, journalist taking notes, Room XIV, Palais des Nations 
11. SOUNDBITE (English) — Tomson Phiri, spokesperson for WFP (UN World Food Programme): “Our school meals programme are independent, they’ve always been and separate from any other interference. Not only in Venezuela, but elsewhere that we have worked.”  
12. Medium shot, spokesperson speaking on the podium, Room XIV, Palais des Nations. 
13. Medium shot, journalist sitting in front of laptop, Room XIV, Palais des Nations. 
14. Wide medium shot, podium with speakers, side shot, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.