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Additional food assistance going to African children

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday in Kansas Citythat an additional 51,700 tons of agricultural commodities will be provided to children in low-income, food-deficit countries. The additional $80 million worth of assistance is under USDA's McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, according to SecretaryVilsack. This is in addition to $95.5 million allocated for fiscal 2009 for the McGovern-Dole Program announced in December.

The increase in assistance will benefit children, women and schools in Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Uganda. The allocation along with the oneannounced in December, will feed nearly 4.2 million children in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, according to the USDA.

“This is a program that has been extraordinarily successful,” said Secretary Vilsack following the announcement, made during the11th annual International Food Aid Conference. “It has helped over 22 million children receive nutritious food, it has operated in 41 different countries and we know from statistics that in increases school attendance and school performance for youngsters in these developing countries.”

Administered by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, the program is named in honor of Ambassador and former Senator George McGovern and former Senator Robert Dole for their tireless efforts to encourage a global commitment to school feeding and child nutrition.

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