As of January 2023, Armenia had successfully taken over the implementation of the WFP’s School Feeding program in all 10 provinces (marzes), according to a new WFP report.
By continuing its investments in innovative school meals, WFP will continue to offer technical support to build the capacities of school employees. This involves establishing greenhouses and intensive orchards in schools to implement circular economy strategies.
WFP created nutrition education resources for children in fifth through ninth grades in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS). WFP teamed together with the School Feeding and Child Welfare Agency to provide teachers with the resources they need to teach the nutrition and physical activity curriculum (SFCWA). They have so far trained 95 teachers in the province of Tavush.
Armenian children’s diets are low in calcium, according to national data. To address this, WFP began distributing milk daily to 273 kids in fifth through eighth grade at Jermuk and Yeghegnadzor schools in collaboration with a milk producer, “Yeremyan Projects.” In 2022, the pilot will be used for two semesters.
Within the scope of “Productive Agricultural Practices,” the WFP tested a renewable energy concept in the bordering provinces of Gegharkunik and Syunik. In order to increase bordering and vulnerable communities’ energy independence and sustainability as well as provide a source of economic regeneration for communities and settlements, the pilot program invests in renewable energy solutions. The revolving model calls for the installation of 10 units of 40 kilowatt solar power stations in 10 vulnerable and bordering communities (4 in Syunik and 6 in Gegharkunik), with a commitment to reinvest generated savings in community settlements each year over a five-year period by way of 10 kilowatt solar power stations.
In Armenia, WFP assists the government and its allies in eradicating hunger and malnutrition in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and putting the country’s development agenda into action. Along with the government, WFP works to advance sustainable economic growth that benefits the entire populace, human capital development, and health improvement.
