The opening ceremony took place on January 18. The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Tajikistan Semyon Grigoriev, the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan Jamshed Jurazoda, as well as the Representative and Country Director of WFP in the Republic of Tajikistan Adkham Musallam.
“This Center will allow the Ministry of Education and Science of Tajikistan to monitor the implementation of the School Feeding Programme, which will be an important step towards giving it a truly national character,” said Semyon Grigoriev. He also announced that in December 2022, Russia allocated an additional contribution of $4 million to purchase food for Tajik schoolchildren: “Taking this into account, the total amount of Russian funds provided for the School Feeding Programme in the Republic exceeded $86 million, which clearly demonstrates how much attention Russia pays to support the youngest generation of fraternal and allied Tajikistan,” the ambassador emphasized.
“With the invaluable support of the Russian Federation, WFP assisted in providing equipment, furniture and renovation of the Center premises. It will be under the direct control of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan, regularly coordinating with WFP all issues related to school meals. The Center will actively consult with the Interdepartmental Coordination Council on School Feeding under the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population, as well as with regional authorities and other relevant ministries, departments and partners,” said Adham Musallam, WFP Representative and Country Director in the Republic of Tajikistan.
“Russia and WFP are making a significant contribution to the organization of school meals in Tajikistan. The opening of the School Feeding Center takes our cooperation to a new level,” said Jamshed Jurazoda.
US$200,000 was allocated for the establishment of the School Feeding Center under the WFP School Feeding Programme. With this money, the premises of the center were repaired and equipped with modern equipment and software, and a wage fund was formed for the employees of the Center.
Since the start of funding in 2013 for the School Feeding Programme, WFP’s largest project in Tajikistan, Russia has allocated $86.1 million for its implementation, including $58 million for food aid and $28.1 million for modernization infrastructure.
Now the quality of services provided to young schoolchildren in Tajikistan for the preparation of tasty and healthy school meals will increase significantly.