The Sindh government, in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), will jointly fund a one-year pilot School Meals Project in Malir District during the 2025–26 academic year, with a total allocation of Rs578.39 million.
The initiative aims to provide daily hot meals to 11,000 primary school students up to grade five, with the objective of enhancing school attendance, academic performance, and nutritional outcomes.
The project was formally discussed during a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister’s House between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and WFP Country Director Ms. Coco Ushiyama. The meeting also covered ongoing cooperation in maternal and child healthcare programs across the province.
Key provincial officials in attendance included Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Chairman Planning & Development Board Najam Shah, Secretary School Education Zahid Abbasi, Secretary Social Protection Muzamil Halepoto, and Secretary Health Rehan Baloch. The WFP delegation was comprised of Hilde Bergsama, Head of the Provincial Office, and Policy Officer Salma Yaqub.
Ms. Ushiyama briefed the participants on WFP’s current activities in Sindh, with a focus on its Maternal and Child Nutrition (MCN) strategy. She highlighted interventions targeting child stunting and wasting, as well as the use of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) and nutritional supplement distribution to combat malnutrition.
Chief Minister Shah commended the WFP’s longstanding support and outlined the provincial government’s own health initiatives. These include targeted programs for pregnant and lactating women and malnourished children, particularly through the federal Benazir Income Support Program’s Nashonuma scheme and the provincial Mother and Child Support Program, known as Mamta.
