The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has announced a new partnership agreement covering the years 2024–2025. Under this initiative, over 160,000 primary school students in sixteen regions of Ukraine will receive free meals. A detailed list of the regions included in the program can be found on the Ministry of Education and Science’s website here.
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Program Details
The WFP will also contribute to the funding of meals for particularly vulnerable groups of students. Specifically, the organization will cover 50% of the meal costs for 18,000 children attending underground schools in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, as part of efforts to ensure safe nutrition even under challenging conditions.
Previous Results and Plans
This project is part of a three-year support program that the WFP is implementing in Ukraine. In previous years, the organization has already funded 30% of daily meals for primary school students. During the first phase of the program, support was provided for meal preparation for 12,000 children in 58 schools in Kyiv Oblast. Last school year, free lunches were provided to over 90,000 children in thirteen regions.
Importance of the Initiative
This initiative is an important step in supporting the educational process and improving learning conditions for children in Ukraine. Providing meals helps not only to enhance students’ health but also to support their successful educational progress, especially amidst difficulties and instability.
