An online ceremony was held on September 18 at the United Nations House in Maseru to mark the contribution, which will be used to buy canned fish, maize meal and highly fortified foods to further diversify nutritious meals offered in primary schools and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres across the country.
The ceremony was officiated by the Minister of Education and Training Ntlhoi Motsamai.
Lesotho is in the third consecutive year of poor crop production due to drought. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity in the country as restriction on movement has affected informal traders and smallholder farmers’ access to markets.
It is estimated that some 582 000 Basotho will face acute food insecurity and require urgent humanitarian assistance, between October and March 2021.
“This support came at a critical time when WFP is appealing for more resources to respond to increasing needs. It will help the most vulnerable, Basotho children, some of whom, the only nutritious meals they receive are provided through the national school feeding programme,” said WFP Lesotho Acting Country Representative, Hsunhee Marian Yun.
She said the principal barriers to educational opportunity that stand in the way of the world’s poorest children are hunger, social disenfranchisement, gender discrimination and poverty.
