On February 26 /2017, the 10th African School Feeding Day was celebrated at the Model Primary and Secondary School in Harar city by the Harari National Regional Government.

The Head of Harari National Regional Government, His Excellency Ato Ordin Bedri, who attended the ceremony, stated that the school feeding program has made a significant contribution to ensuring social and economic development.

The Head of the State added that the program will help to make the teaching and learning process more effective and increase educational participation and quality, as well as ensure educational equity, and noted that the program should be strengthened in view of its multifaceted benefits. He said that the work started in the region in view of the program will continue to be strengthened.

The State Minister for General Education Development at the Ministry of Education, Ms. Ayelech Eshete, stated that the school feeding program is a program that has been given attention by the transitional government and is being implemented on a continuous basis and is achieving results.

She pointed out that the community participation in the program is great; thus, she said that it is making a significant contribution in terms of getting students to come to school and attending their education properly.

Ms. Ayelech added that the feeding program is making its contribution in terms of increasing access to and quality of education; especially, she mentioned the relief for parents and the creation of job opportunities for the community.

Mr. Lokule Le Dowani, Representative of the World Food Program, noted that Ethiopia is becoming a leading country in the field of school feeding programs due to the attention it has given to the country and the effective work it is doing.

He also expressed his continued support for the World Food Programme as the Ethiopian government works to expand and ensure the sustainability of the programme, aiming to reach all primary school students by 2030. The ceremony was attended by relevant leaders and experts from the Ministry of Education and Harari Regional State, heads of regional and city government education bureaus, representatives of the local community and other partners and stakeholders, and they visited successful school feeding projects in the region.