On the 28^th and 29^th of October 2021, Ms. Christina Hardaway, Deputy Chief of the Political and Economic Section of the United States Embassy in Cameroon visited two of the four United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition program beneficiary regions, in Cameroon – the North and East Regions.

Ms. Hardaway was warmly received on arrival in the North Region, by Mr Avom Dang, Secretary General in the Governor’s office, representing the Governor. In the East Region, she was equally received by the Secretary General in the Governor’s office, Mr Theophile Nguea Beina, representing the Governor. Others present included the Governors’ representatives, delegates of various ministries, mayors, traditional leaders, PTA members, community members, and students of Kossi and Gbakombo project schools, and Nascent Staff.

An impressive turnout of over one thousand people in each of the project localities enthusiastically welcomed the visitors with song, dance, and expressions of profound gratitude to USDA and the American people for the McGovern Dole Project, which provides school meals, take home rations, school farms, school infrastructure, water points, libraries,  teacher training and general nutritional support. The representatives of the US government heard directly from the Governor of the North Region, mayors, PTAs and student beneficiaries themselves.

Some infrastructure projects (buildings and boreholes) constructed by Nascent as part of  the  McGovern-Dole program, were symbolically inaugurated and handed over to the respective school Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs).

Ms. Christina Hardaway, on behalf of the US Embassy, expressed her satisfaction with the progress and achievements of the program. In her own words, she said: “I am delighted to see the community here gathered – parents, teachers, local and regional administrators – testify of the fruits of our partnership. Let me, once again, express my gratitude to the Government of Cameroon and to Nascent Solutions for the work accomplished. This program is more than a school feeding program and has served as a vehicle to empowerment and significantly improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Cameroonians”.  She said that the United States is a friend of Cameroon and a partner, supporting the pursuit of the development objectives of the country. To ensure the institutionalization of investments in school feeding and hygiene, she called on the Government of Cameroon to expedite the establishment of a national school feeding policy, for there is no more profitable investment for a government than an investment in the education and health of its people.