foreign donations programs - PDF, 101 mb - usaid

normally approved by a prompt cable exchange which
authorizes borrowing from any local available stocks
prior to the arrival of food shipments.
During 1965 relief was provided to victims of floods,
tidal waves, droughts, earthquakes, civil strife, and insurgency;
10.0 million people were helped in connection
with 47 disasters in 37 countries. (See tables XXIX
and XXXIII.)
School Lunch and Child
Feeding Programs
School lunch and child feeding programs are undertaken
under both titles II and III. During 1965,
progress continued in expanding and improving child
feeding programs and in firmly establishing them as
permanent local government programs. In Mexico,
for example, after several years of mutual sharing of
program costs, arrangements were made this year for th,
Mexican Government to replace Food for Peace donations
with its own food contributions, marking the
complete takeover of responsibility for a program reaching
2 million children. In Peru and Brazil, government
school lunch budgets for personnel training and logistics
costs were again increased so as to reach additional
children,
Child feeding programs vary greatly in diffeent
countries. In some areas, children receive only a daily
ration of reconstituted nonfat dry milk; in other areas, a
complete, well balanced, and varied hot meal is served.
An open-air bamboo roof-covered area may serve as a
kitchen or a tiled floor and modern equipment may be
found. There may be local programs, serving a handful
of schools in a given area, or a program may be carried
out on a national scale. 'Mothers often take turns
preparing and serving the food and in many places the
children participate on an ability-to-pay basis, either
by paying a small fee or by bringing food itemmis to
contribute to the common pool.
On an increasing scale, Peace Corps volunteers help to
organize communities to administer their own programs.
65-3U -0---7
Regional and local workshops train workers in administration,
in food preparation, and i. nutrition education.
Mobile units tour remote areas, giving demonstrations
in food preparation and teaching sanitation practices
and elementary nutrition. Booklets, pamphlets, posters,
and other materials written in the simplest level of the
local language are widely distributed. School gardens
are promoted as a source of supplementary nutritious
foods and as an aid to nutrition education.
Programs now reach about 40 million school children
and about ten million pre-school age children and pregnant
and nursing mothers. For details of donations for
school lunch and child feeding see tables XXIX and
XXXI.
Combating Malnutrition
During 1965, initial steps were taken as part of a U.S.
rg 16 initalt retan as part of a U.S.
program to combat malnutrition and undernutrition,
especially in younger children.
Undernutrition, caused by not having enough food to
eat, leads to lack of energy, susceptibility to disease, and,
in its most virulent form, to outright starvation. Malnutrition,
caused by lack of balance in the diet, may
bring about permanent physical and possible mental
retardation. It is a major factor in mortality and mor­
bidity and robs nations of future hunman resources so
requisite for economic development.
One major step has beemi the fortification with vitamins
A and D of nonfat dry milk for overseas donation programs.
This new effort is designed to prevent thousands
of children from becoming blind and suff:'ring other
disabilities due to diseases brought on by vitainin
deficiency.
Arrangements are also in process to step up the vitamin
and mineral fortification of processed cereals.
Pilot programis are underway to test high-protein fVod
fornmlations which .ay later be added to the titles II
and III donations programs. All) is also supporting
the local manimffactuiring and marketing of formulated
foods developed from indigenous sources.
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