Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of schoolchildren are now missing out on the school meals on which they depend.
Partial or country-wide closures of schools have been reported in almost all countries where the World Food Programme (WFP) implements school feeding programmes. This means that millions of children – the exact number raising daily – are no longer receiving WFP school meals.
The effects on children and their families are dire. These children are at risk of hunger and will no longer have the protection of key vitamins and micronutrients they receive in the school meals.
For poor families, the value of a meal in school is equivalent to about 10 percent of their monthly income. For families with several children in school, that can mean substantial savings. The loss of the school meal means a loss of income.