Orthodox Christian Charities and WFP Partnership Serves 5,000,000 School Snacks
IOCC – 24/8/19
An apple or a banana, a serving of peanuts or a carton of milk make up a small snack pack. Five million of those filling, healthful snacks have helped students in Lebanon get the most from their education.
Partnering with the World Food Program in Lebanon, IOCC offers snacks to over 22,700 Lebanese and refugee primary-school students each month at 39 public schools across the country. The program, which started in 2016, recently reached the five million snacks mark.
Providing food at school is a recognized way to help students and families, improving both students’ health and their ability to excel. Snacks during the school year and at nutrition-focused summer camps help ensure that students are not learning on an empty stomach, so it’s easier for them to concentrate—and of course, fruit and protein help address nutritional needs.
Offering schoolchildren regular snacks alleviates some household food expenses for their parents, encouraging enrollment and attendance, and ultimately helping these youngsters pursue an education and invest in their own success.
