CRS to manage McGovern Dole food for education program

The five-year school feeding program would commence in 2023. The FFE project NDOKK is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program that will improve literacy, health and nutrition outcomes in Central, Upper, and North Bank Regions and Kanifing Municipality.

The development was revealed during a press conference organised by CRS and held at its office in Fajara.

Jennifer Overton, CRS Regional Director for West Africa,stated that they would in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and other partners implement the school feeding program in 186 schools in the four mentioned regions.

She noted that the project to be funded by the USDA through McGovern Dole initiative amounts to $28 million for the five year period with possible extension, noting that the school feeding program has been a part of the country’s landscape for decades.

“The project targets 186 schools in the four regions, 57, 000 direct participants, 97, 595 indirect participants through various and complementary activities and 927 new parent teacher associations with 30 new community partnerships that will continue to build community support and sustainability for literacy,” she stated.

According to her, in 2002, CRS became the first NGO in the country to initiate a comprehensive home-based care and support program for people living with HIV.

She further said that in 2014, CRS became the first NGO in the country to secure funding to implement the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) project to continue to work towards the goal of achieving zero new malaria infections.This was in partnership with the Ministry of Health with support from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

Susan Solomon, Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy noted that it is significant that they can provide technical and financial support to help grow the next generation of Gambians ensuring that they are both healthy and strong.