WFP, UNILEVER launch partnership in Ghana

Accra, May 5, GNA - The World Food Programme (WFP) and Unilever Ghana Limited have launched in Accra the Unilever-WFP "Together for Child Vitality" partnership to raise awareness of the importance of child nutrition for growth and development.

The three-year WFP/Unilever collaboration, earlier launched globally in 2006, covers advocacy, support to School Feeding Programmes, marketing of blended foods, technical support to agro processors and support to WFP's vegetable oil procurement.

The programme supports the UN Millennium Development Goals of eradicating poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education.

Mr Charles Cofie, Chief Executive Officer of the Unilever Ghana, said at the launch that the company was contributing six million euros globally over the three years to improve the nutrition and health status of some poor, undernourished school-aged children in selected countries through the WFP's school feeding programme.

Ghana together with Kenya, Indonesia and Colombia were selected to benefit from the partnership.

Mr Cofie said hunger was the greatest threat to health worldwide. Also, of the 850 million hungry people in the world, 400 million are children. About 59 million primary school-aged children attend school hungry.

Mr Cofie said Unilever had funded 15 million meals in the four countries in the last year, and this year it aimed to fund meals for 120,000 children in the four countries. He said the WFP's school feeding programme operated in the three northern regions of Ghana. The CEO said there would be a voluntary walk dubbed: "End Hunger-Walk the World" would be undertaken to create awareness of child hunger. He extended an invitation to the company's employees, families and friends and others to take part in creating awareness and to help feed disadvantaged school children. The WFP Country Director in Ghana, Ms Trudy Bower, linked hunger to poor learning and poor national economic growth. "Improved education and nutrition lead to a better workforce that has a higher level of talents and skills, and human capital, which is a critical factor in economic development. "By contrast, the economic burdens and human capital lost due to illiteracy and ill health can drain a government of resources." She said the WFP-supported activities in the three northern regions of Ghana reached 240,000 people mainly women, pre-school and primary school children, while support to Government emergency response is reaching more than 100,000 people.