The program will support Food-for-Education activities in 23 schools in Upper Egypt
CEMEX in Egypt has given an additional donation to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to support its Food-for-Education program in Assiut governorate which will benefit more than 4,000 people. Inaugurated at the Governorate of Assiut today and under the auspices of the Governor of Assiut, Gen Ibrahim Hammad, this is the third partnership agreement CEMEX signs with WFP.
WFP will use this donation to provide daily nutritious snacks and monthly take-home rations during an entire year to vulnerable school children and their families in the poorest and most food-insecure areas in Upper Egypt. Around 670 children in 23 community schools in Assiut and their family members will benefit from this intervention. The programme contributes to increasing the enrolment, attendance, and retention of children in Assiut.
Gen. Ibrahim Hammad, Governor of Assiut, praised the active role played by the World Food Program in combating poverty and reducing malnutrition in Assiut, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. He stressed as well the important role played by CEMEX, whose efforts contribute to community development in Assiut. The school feeding project financed by CEMEX, which covers the schools in Manfalout District, is an example of corporate social responsibility.
"We are glad to contribute to this important development activity in Egypt," says Sergio Menéndez, CEMEX President in Egypt. "This project contributes to the well-being and health of young children, while encouraging them to go to school. We are very proud not only to respond and contribute to this noble and great cause, but to also sustain our support and insure the maximum benefit for these children. Throughout its operations worldwide, CEMEX strives to play a significant role in the communities it serves through sustainable social investment and environmental strategies."
The monthly take-home ration constitutes about 20 per cent of the family's monthly expenditure on food. It is provided only to families of students who complete the minimum required attendance rate; hence it is a very encouraging incentive for poor families in Assiut.
"The snack is enriched with essential nutrients and addresses around 25 per cent of the child's daily nutritional needs, thus alleviating short-term hunger and improving children's performance during the school day," says WFP Representative and Egypt Country Director Lubna Alaman. "The monthly take-home ration is also an incentive for families to enrol and keep their children in school since it is almost equivalent to the wage a child would earn if sent to work instead of school," she added.
The project ultimately supports the government's efforts to improve the quality of education by 2015, in line with the international targets laid out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Cemex SAB de CV is a Mexico-based operating and holding company primarily engaged, directly or indirectly, through subsidiaries, in the production, distribution, marketing and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, clinker and other globally provided construction materials. The construction-related services supply customers and communities in over 50 countries throughout the world. The Company operates in various locations, including Mexico, the United States, Europe, South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The cement production facilities are located in Mexico, the United States, Spain, Egypt, Germany, Colombia, the Philippines, Poland, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, Panama, Puerto Rico, Thailand and Nicaragua. The Company is a supplier of aggregates, primarily the crushed stone, sand and gravel, used in various forms of construction.
CEMEX, S.A.B. DE C.V. 
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