The World Food Programme (WFP) announced the launch of a plan in cooperation with Libya's Ministry of Education to distribute meals to 7,000 students in Benghazi.

"The daily distribution of these healthy school meals to children at 13 primary schools in Benghazi is part of the central kitchen project, in cooperation between the WFP and the Ministry of Education," said WFP Communications Associate Alaa AbouGhrara, in an interview with Alwasat.

Through the Central Kitchen, "children will receive a lunch box consisting of a sandwich, fresh fruit, a dairy drink, a fortified date bar, and clean water at school every day." The contents of lunch boxes are chosen based on the food available locally and its nutritional benefits said a WFP press release.

AbouGhrara also pointed out that a WFP team was accompanied by a group from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in carrying out a joint field mission in the city of Benghazi where they visited the central kitchen located in the Garyounis School.

In January, UNICEF warned in its annual report that 32,000 children suffer from acute malnutrition in Libya. The organization also warned that climate change and water scarcity would exacerbate the situation.