Kathmandu: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a generous $33 million grant to support Nepal’s mid-day meal programme in schools. This initiative, launched in collaboration with Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), is set to run for five years and will benefit over 120,000 children in rural districts.

The primary objective of this programme is to enhance Nepal’s National Mid-day Meal Programme, which aims to improve student enrollment, attendance, literacy, and nutrition levels among school children.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will work to provide daily nutritious meals to approximately 121,792 pre-primary and primary school students each year. The programme will be implemented in 1,039 schools across the districts of Bajura, Bajhang, and Darchula in Nepal’s Sudur Paschim Province.

This initiative is expected to significantly strengthen the existing meal programme and contribute to the overall well-being and development of children in some of the most remote and underprivileged regions of Nepal.