A girl receives food in central Kampong Thom province, Cambodia, June 30, 2020. The World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), has been distributing food to poor households in Cambodia, who have been acutely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, said a joint press statement on Wednesday. (WFP/Handout via Xinhua)
PHNOM PENH, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS), has been distributing food to poor households in Cambodia who have been acutely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, said a joint press statement on Wednesday.
Some 92,787 children and 2,109 cooks from 1,113 primary schools in 10 provinces participating in the school meals programme will receive 15 kg of rice each from June 29 to July 10, the statement said, adding that take-home rations will also include one liter of vegetable oil.
"The eligible students are from poor families holding ID Poor 1, ID Poor 2 or other equity cards," it said.
The statement said the country-wide school closure in mid-March meant that poor children participating in the school meals programme have not received nutritious school-based breakfast or lunch.
"This has accumulated pressure on households whose livelihoods are affected by work suspensions or job losses," it said. "To mitigate these impacts, WFP and MoEYS provide a second round of take-home rations to help them better cope with the hardship."
Cambodia has so far recorded a total of 141 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 131 patients cured and 10 remained hospitalized, according to a Ministry of Health statement on Wednesday.
