CIF will contribute $975,000 in the next three years to sustain and expand school feeding initiatives under the Benin Government’s Integrated National School Feeding Programme (PNASI)

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – EQS Newswire – 15 August 2025 – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Choithram International Foundation (CIF) (www.Choithrams.com) are renewing their commitment to fight hunger and improve education in Benin. CIF will contribute $975,000 in the next three years to sustain and expand school feeding initiatives under the Benin Government’s Integrated National School Feeding Programme (PNASI).

CIF has partnered with WFP in Benin since 2015 to help thousands of schoolchildren receive nutritious meals. The programme now supports 30 schools across the country to increase school enrolment and retention rates, reduce dropout rates, and improve the nutritional status of schoolchildren while fostering economic empowerment and community resilience.

Between 2025 and 2027, the programme will aim to improve nutrition, education, and resilience in Tanguiéta, Matéri, Malanville, Ségbana, and Banikoara in the north of Benin. It will also invest in sustainable agricultural practices, with a focus on training women’s food processing groups, improving community resilience through local farmers’ support groups, and introducing “green” canteens equipped with energy-efficient cooking technologies.

“This funding from the Choithram International Foundation marks a significant milestone in our efforts to support the most vulnerable communities in Benin—particularly in the northern regions, where food insecurity and instability have deepened. It will enable us not only to ensure the continued operation of school canteens, but also to strengthen nutrition outcomes, enhance community resilience to overlapping crises, and promote the economic empowerment of women at the grassroots level,” said Ali Ouattara, WFP Country Director and Resident Representative in Benin.

CIF’s investment has transformed schools and communities, not just ensuring children stay in classrooms thanks to dependable, healthy school meals, but also reshaping livelihoods. With funds channeled into building essential infrastructure—including kitchens, refectories, water points, and gardens— the partnership is helping beneficiary schools on their journey towards becoming sustainability hubs.

“The school feeding programme run by WFP in cooperation with local governments around the world is a benchmark global campaign that aims to solve challenges of food security and climate change. Choithrams is continuously looking to improve the quality of food consumed, reduce the quantum of food wasted, and efficiently upgrade how food is grown, distributed and retailed. Our commitment to WFP is a synergy of purposes. It gives us an opportunity to rally behind children facing the risk of hunger and malnutrition,” said Lekhu T. Pagarani, Chairman of CIF.

The programme originally launched as a three-year plan targeting 10 schools in the Atacora department, specifically in Boukoumbé and Toucountouna. In its second phase, from 2019 to 2021, the initiative expanded to the southern regions of Mono and Ouémé, benefiting 3,698 schoolchildren in 10 other schools. In 2022, it was extended to support 20 more schools, including those in the Couffo, Atlantique and Alibori departments.

Beyond the classroom, the foundation’s support is empowering local economies by establishing a maize mill and equipping women’s cooperatives with cassava and palm nut processing tools. The result has been a strengthened community where education and employment go hand in hand, creating long-term resilience for families in need.

For the people of Benin, Choithrams’ contribution will supply essential food items—including cereals, beans, oil, and iodized salt—while fresh produce from community gardens will complement the meals. The programme will support 750 women with training and market access.

Through innovative partnerships and strategic investments, WFP and CIF are driving long-term impact, empowering communities with food security solutions that promote self-sufficiency and economic resilience. The delivery of these programmes not only addresses immediate hunger challenges but also lays the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Choithram International Foundation.

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Caption: Privat, 9 years old, is a student at the Honhoun public primary school in Djidja. He receives nutritious meals at school thanks to the Integrated School Feeding and Nutrition Project that WFP is implementing. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Photo: © WFP/Bismarck Sossa (1)

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Caption: Privat, 9 years old, is a student at the Honhoun public primary school in Djidja. He receives nutritious meals at school thanks to the Integrated School Feeding and Nutrition Project that WFP is implementing. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Photo: © WFP/Bismarck Sossa (2)

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Caption: The cooks of EPP Agontinmè (public primary school), in the commune of Athiémé, Mono department, preparing maize paste for the students’ meals as part of the National Integrated School Feeding Programme that WFP implements in Benin. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Credit/Photo: Makéba TCHIBOZO (1)

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Caption: View of EPP Fingninkanmè (public primary school), located in the commune of Dangbo, Ouémé department. WFP has been supporting the Government of Benin in implementing the National Integrated School Feeding Programme which covers 75 percent of all public primary schools, representing 1.4 million schoolchildren in over 5,700 schools. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Credit/Photo: Makéba TCHIBOZO

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Caption: The cooks of EPP Agontinmè (public primary school), in the commune of Athiémé, Mono department, preparing maize paste for the students’ meals as part of the National Integrated School Feeding Programme that WFP implements in Benin. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Credit/Photo: Makéba TCHIBOZO (2)

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Caption: The WFP-run Integrated School Feeding Programme in Benin ensures students receive nutritious meals that are sourced from a smallholder farmer’s cooperative, thereby fostering education, school attendance and economic growth. Life-changing interventions like these are enabled through the support of valued donors—including the Choithram International Foundation—who remain key partners in WFP’s humanitarian efforts. Photo: ©WFP/Richard Mbouet

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About The UN World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

WFP does not endorse any product or service.

About the WFP – Choithrams Partnership

Established in 2015, the strategic partnership between WFP and Choithrams, through Choithram International Foundation, has delivered tangible, life-changing results for many in vulnerable communities in the Middle East and Africa. Choithrams and WFP have collaborated as partners on a variety of Zero Hunger campaigns in supermarket locations across the United Arab Emirates. Over 6.5 million meals have been donated since the start of the partnership in 2015. The WFP Benin Country Office, with financial support from CIF, continues to deliver school feeding programmes under the framework of the Integrated National School Feeding Programme (PNASI) in the West African country.

About Choithrams

For generations, Choithrams has captured the imagination of UAE residents by following its Full of Goodness mantra, delighting customers, partners, and stakeholders at every touchpoint. The brand offers a truly hybrid shopping experience to customers with more than 50 outlets at strategic locations in the UAE, a robust online presence at www.Choithrams.com, and an optimised mobile-first delivery network to reach customers through Instashop, Talabat, Deliveroo, El Grocer, Noon, WhatsApp or by phone.

Today, Choithrams is a successful group with associates in diverse fields including manufacturing, distribution, commodities, retailing This rich combination brings to the group a huge fund of experience and resources. Choithrams came to UAE in 1974 and its chain of over 50 supermarkets have made it a household name in the Emirates.

Check our website: www.Choithrams.com