2007 News Archive

Ambassador Kirby Attends Closure Ceremony for School Feeding Program

July 13, 2007

Ambassador Kirby talks to children at Licurici Kindergarten during lunch

On Friday, July 13, Ambassador Michael Kirby helped mark the conclusion of the “Food for Education” program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a ceremony held at the “Licurici” kindergarten of Bardar village in the Ialoveni region near Chisinau.  The program, which began in Moldova in 2001, has helped feed more than 1.3 million school and kindergarten children in the country.  Through the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has distributed more than 41 thousand tons of food products worth close to $20 million.  The U.S. non-governmental organization International Partnership for Human Development, which has been implementing the feeding program in Moldova, also helped hundreds of schools renovate and/or reopen their kitchens and canteens.  Ambassador Kirby expressed the hope that with the end of U.S. funding, the Moldovan authorities would be able to take over and continue the program.