By: A-Z Media Team
The World Food Programme (WFP) country director in Sierra Leone Yvonne Forsen has in an exclusive interview with A-Z disclosed that the global food organization is currently feeding 200,000 school children in five districts across the country.
Madam Forsen said the school feeding programme is the biggest among WFP`s interventions in Sierra Leone which is a way of aligning the organization`s programmes with the government`s priority.
According to her the five districts that benefits from the school feeding programme are Kambia, Pujehun, Karene, Bonthe and Kenema and they were selected based on a comprehensive food security assessment conducted by WFP every five years.
“This is the only food security assessment that is available at chiefdom level and within the selected districts all the schools and children attending these schools are targeted with WFP food support”, Madam Forsen explained.
The country Director reveals that the food that is used in the school feeding programme is sourced from local farmers.
She stated that the rice that WFP buys from the farmers serves as a form of market and income for the farmers, which according to her is another way of boosting agriculture in the country.
Madam Forsen went further to disclose that WFP has added Orange Sweet Fresh potatoes into the school feeding dish which is also bought from the local farmers.
“The Orange sweet fresh potato is less expensive than rice and is more nutritious in ensuring the physical growth and development of children”, she pointed out.
Madam Forsen further maintained that WFP also works with farmer based organization to improve their livelihoods by way of urging them to grow more diversified food.
“We also help the farmers in ensuring that their harvest losses are reduced which are one of the key areas WFP focuses on. In Sierra Leone about 40% of what is produced is been lost after harvest. When such a loss is prevented that 40% will be translated in to income for the farmers and that will improve their livelihoods and food security situation”, she narrated.
Madam Forsen stated that WFP also provides farmers with access to low scale mechanization equipment such as rice tillers, seeds and fertilizers to enhance the production yields of farmers.
She said WFP has ethical guidelines and declarations that staff must abide to and anyone that flouts those declarations such as engaging in abuse of power, exploitation and sexual abuse are automatically fired.
The country director concluded by noting that the WFP is accountable to its donors and there are available audits, reports and investigations that prevent improprieties, misappropriation of its resources by staff of the organization.