Press Releases
Exchange of Notes of Grant Aid “the Promotion of ’Farm-to-School’ Meals Programmes Using Locally-harvested Products in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” to the Republic of the Philippines (Improvement of school enrollment rate of children and malnutrition)
On January 30, in Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, the signing ceremony of the Exchange of Notes was held between Mr. KOSHIKAWA Kazuhiko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Republic of the Philippines, and Mr. Giorgi DOLIDZE, Country Director, ad interim, World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Office, concerning Grant Aid of 737 million yen, “the Promotion of ’Farm-to-School’ Meals Programmes Using Locally-harvested Products in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”
- In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in the southern part of the Philippines, which has long been affected by the Mindanao conflict, there is a strong tendency to view children as labor for farm work and household chores against a background of low family income, and the school enrollment rate of children is low. Another problem is the high rate of stunting associated with child undernutrition compared to other regions in the Philippines.
- This Programme will introduce a school lunch system, which is rarely practiced in the region. This is expected to improve the school enrollment rate of children and increase and stabilize the income of local farmers by utilizing local agricultural products for school lunches, while improving the nutritional status of children. Furthermore, we will improve local awareness of food and nutrition through awareness-raising activities.
The Republic of the Philippines has an area of approximately 300,000 square kilometers (approximately 80% of the Japan’s area), a population of about 155.6 million (World Bank, 2022) and a gross national income (GNI) per capita is 3,950 US dollars (World Bank, 2022).