School food programs, such as Qali Warma, decidedly contribute to progress in underprivileged children’s learning, the Peruvian Minister of Development and Social Inclusion (Midis) Paola Bustamante affirmed today.
During the ceremony marking the inauguration of the 7th Latin American and Caribbean School Feeding Regional Seminar held in Lima, the Minister highlighted the need for the education sector to identify with these programs because of their impact on the educational results.
In this sense "social oversight [of school food programs] featuring active participation of parents, educative community and media is essential," Bustamante told.
The Minister also highlighted Qali Warma, which distributes 3,100,000 food portions to children at the national level every day.
Three years have passed since its creation, it is now able to guarantee nutritional quality.
Likewise, it has managed to guarantee the delivery of school breakfasts, improvements on supplier selection nationwide, despite the complexity of geography and logistics.
She highlighted the S/.1.40 billion (about US$426.82 million) worth investment in Qali Warma for the current year.
The Minister also considered "essential" for the program to remain in force under successive administrations.
(END) LZD/RRC/AVV/MVB
Published: 8/26/2015