Gbumgbum (NR), Sept. 7, GNA - The management of World Food Programme (WFP) has provided over 3.4 million dollars to 215,000 malnourished families in the three Northern Regions to ameliorate their plight in view of the current world food and fuel crises.

Under this special package, about 20,000 pupils in basic schools yet to be identified and based on their nutritional status, would be given extra food rations. Ms Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP announced this during a tour of some WFP-sponsored projects at Gbumgbum in Savelugu/Nanton District.

She also witnessed a supplementary school feeding programme and interacted with women's groups engaged in the fortification and re-bagging of iodized salt.

Ms Sheeran commended the government for making a compelling case to the WFP for further support to the Northern, Upper East and West Regions saying: "The credit goes to the leadership of the country". She announced that Ghana had been selected as a centre for humanitarian services for the West African Sub-Region while WFP's warehouses in the country would be the centre for distribution of relief items to neighbouring countries.

Ms Sheeran said WFP in partnership with Micronutrient Initiative, Technoserve and UNICEF was assisting in the economic empowerment of women's groups such as the group in the Gbumgbum community to contribute to the increase in the production, distribution and promotion of iodated salt. She said through a grant from CIDA, selected small and medium scale salt producers in Ghana's southern coastal areas were being supported with capacity building and equipped with mobile salt iodization units. Ms Sheeran said WFP incorporated the end user retail component linking the salt manufactures to women's groups in Northern Ghana. She said Monsongsum and Tikpamtaba Women's groups in Savelugu/Nanton and East Mamprusi Districts were two out of three groups linked with WFP-assisted salt manufactures in Southern Ghana. Ms Sheeran said that component of the programme was intended to increase the Northern Region's consumption of iodated salt, which was the lowest in the country, to 11 per cent and also empower women's groups economically to enable them contribute to activities in the supplementary feeding centres which were successful WFP nutrition-based food assistance programmes in the communities.

She said WFP had spent over 30,000 dollars on packaging kits, training and sensitization programmes for the Mansongsum and Tikpamtaba women's groups adding that Mansongsum women's group in Gbumgbum had so far made an income of GHC 2,277 of which 30 per cent was a net profit of GHC 718. The group had also purchased a generator from the profits, which they now use to seal the bags.