WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2001–The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will donate about 18,500 metric tons of U.S. wheat to Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) for use in Albania under the Global Food for Education (GFE) program. CARE, a private voluntary organization, will use the proceeds from the wheat to fund school feeding and school rehabilitation in northern Albania.

During the 2001/2002 school year, CARE will implement direct school feeding programs for about 15,000 students. CARE will also implement a school rehabilitation program to repair 30 schools. These activities will be supported by the monetization of the U.S. wheat.

The fiscal 2001 agreement with CARE was signed on Aug. 13, 2001. The donation will be made under USDA’s Section 416(b) program, administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service. This agreement is part of the $300-million pilot GFE initiative to expand access to basic education and improve childhood development in poor countries. Under this initiative, the United States is providing surplus agricultural commodities to improve student enrollment, attendance, and performance, with special emphasis on increasing female enrollment. The supply period for this donation is fiscal year 2001.

For further information, contact Fred Giles of FAS at (202) 720-0862, or send a message via the Internet to Gilesf@fas.usda.gov. Information on the GFE initiative can be found on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/gffei.html

FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov and by fax polling. Callers should set their fax machines for polling and dial (202) 720-1728. For additional information about web or fax access, contact FAS Public Affairs Division at (202) 720-7115.

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