WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2003 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will donate 6,000 metric tons of U.S. agricultural commodities to Food for the Poor, a private voluntary organization, for a mother/child health and education program in Guatemala. The commodities include 1,600 tons of rice, 800 tons of corn-soy blend, 800 tons of light red kidney beans, 800 tons of textured soy protein, 500 tons of soybean oil, 500 tons of wheat flour, 400 tons of buckwheat grits, 400 tons of buckwheat groats and 200 tons of raisins. The USDA assistance package for the project is valued at around $4.5 million.
Food for the Poor, in conjunction with Caritas Arquidiocesana, will implement a direct feeding program for 100,000 children, mothers, teachers, caregivers and volunteers who help with the program. The overall goal is to improve child health, child literacy, school attendance and early education in Guatemala to prepare children for primary school. In addition, Food for the Poor will provide deworming medication to the children and implement other activities to enhance the program.
The donation will be made under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service.
The McGovern-Dole program provides for USDA donations of agricultural commodities to promote education, child development and food security for some of the world’s poorest children. USDA expects to provide 150,000 tons of U.S. commodities to 21 countries under fiscal 2003 McGovern-Dole donation agreements.
For further information, contact Tosha Clark of FAS at (202) 720-5453, or by e-mail at Tosha.Clark@fas.usda.gov.
FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov.
#PR 0225-03
