WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2003 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will donate 960 metric tons of U.S. commodities to Project Concern International (PCI), a private voluntary organization, for a child education and nutrition project in Nicaragua. The commodities, which include 100 tons of small red beans, 100 tons of rice, 230 tons of yellow corn, 200 tons of soybean oil, 230 tons of corn-soy milk and 100 tons of dehydrated potatoes, are part of a USDA assistance package valued at around $5.4 million for this project.
PCI, in conjunction with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education and the Fabretto Children’s Foundation, will distribute the commodities to 230 schools. The commodities will be used to improve student enrollment, attendance, nutrition and achievement by providing a daily breakfast to 33,000 students, 460 teachers and 460 parents for two years.
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 Karen Darden of FAS at (202) 720-1346, or by e-mail at Karen.Darden@fas.usda.gov.
FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov.
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