The World Food Programme and the government of Japan signed a 200 million yen ($1.3 million) agreement on Monday to bolster school feeding initiatives and combat acute malnutrition in food-insecure regions across Chad.
Formalized in N’Djamena by Japanese Ambassador Kentaro Minami and WFP Country Director Jean-Noël Gentile, the funding aims to build human capital and protect vulnerable communities by improving child nutrition and increasing school enrollment, particularly for young girls.
The financial injection will allow WFP to procure 333 metric tonnes of food assistance to benefit 23,000 individuals over the 2026–2027 academic year. Approximately 16,400 primary students will receive daily school lunches for six months, while 6,700 young children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers will access specialized malnutrition prevention programs and dietary education.
This diplomatic support arrives as Chad confronts severe humanitarian pressures, with 3.5 million citizens experiencing acute food insecurity and two million children under five suffering from malnutrition. The crisis is further exacerbated by the presence of 1.5 million refugees, including nearly 945,000 displaced by the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan. To maintain basic relief operations and support 3.7 million people through early 2027, WFP projects an immediate funding requirement of $85 million.
CA/ac/Sf/lb/abj/APA