Venezuela launches school feeding plan to reach four million children

Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president of Venezuela, launched the Venezuela Alimenta Hambre Cero plan to eliminate hunger in the country.

She ordered the government to expand the state school feeding program to reach four million children. This initiative aims to help the country meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Rodríguez inaugurated new state warehouses for Mercal, an organization established by the late president Hugo Chávez to sell food at prices below market rates in popular areas.

She also directed the government to extend the Clap food distribution program to four million families. The leader stated that the country is near its goal of zero hunger and tasked the national productive and logistical systems with supporting these objectives. The acting president noted that malnutrition among children under five years old in Venezuela currently reaches 1.5 percent. She emphasized that the government intends to provide children with the nutritional strength needed for physical and mental development.

Currently, the country operates around 250 Mercal warehouses that distribute about 15,000 tons of food every week.