Assistance for "Enhancing Food Security through Empowerment of Schools" Project in Zimbabwe

November 10, 2006

On the 10th of November (Friday), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 1,389,333.51 US dollars (approximately 156.9 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Enhancing Food Security through Empowerment of Schools" that will be implemented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Formerly a net exporter of food, Zimbabwe has received food aid since 2002 because of a combination of consecutive years of drought, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and declining investments in basic social services including agricultural education. This project aims at improving the quality of education for 20,000 rural children in 50 schools through learning of practical methods in agricultural skills, nutrition, health, hygiene knowledge and life skills. The following activities will be implemented:
- Training teachers, children and community volunteers on practical agricultural skills;
- Providing access to safe water supply and basic sanitation for the children;
- Conducting community outreach activities such as teaching agricultural skills to community members through parent-teacher associations;
- Procurement of necessary tools and seeds.
This project is expected to enhance food security in Zimbabwe's communities through the empowerment of schools.

(Note)

The Trust Fund for Human Security was established in the United Nations Secretariat in March 1999 at the initiative of the Government of Japan. Since then, total contributions have reached approximately 31.5 billion yen (US$ 279.7 million). The Trust Fund has supported projects from more than 160 UN agencies, each one addressing various threats to human life, livelihood and dignity, from the perspective of human security.

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