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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Government, WFP launches 'Fill the Cup' campaign

The Government joined hands with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Sri Lanka yesterday (10) to launch the "Fill the Cup" campaign aiming to literally fill a cup with food for 350,000 schoolchildren.

The Government through the Minister of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development is implementing this campaign to boost the nutrition and health of the schoolchildren.

Receiving a welcome boost on the day of the launch, Astra - a brand of Unilever Sri Lanka - donated Rs.1.5 million to the campaign.

WFP calculates that approximately Rs. 1.2 billion is needed per year to reach 350,000 children. While the sum may seem large, just Rs. 17 can provide on child with one cup of porridge or rice and curry. The price of a cup of coffee (Rs. 100) is enough to feed a child in school for one week.

Advisor to the Nation Building Ministry, M.S.Jayasinghe said this is a great initiative to support schoolchildren to build a future generation. "We are looking for donor assistance to increase funds for the campaign to enhance the development of nutrition of underprivileged children in rural areas," he said.

The public can contribute to the campaign which would improve the nutrient levels of school children thus enhancing development in the country.

"Fill the Cup" is a worldwide campaign, launched earlier this year to raise awareness and funds for the 59 million children in the world's developing countries who go to school hungry.