Brasilia, September 16, 2020 - School Feeding Programmes currently benefit 85 million children in Latin America and the Caribbean. For approximately 10 million children, they are one of their main sources of safe food each day. 

To foster the debate and exchange of innovative experiences among countries about the maintenance of school feeding programmes during the pandemic, as well as to encourage and facilitate the discussion for the planning and implementation of a process of safe school reopening, the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) will hold a Regional Virtual Symposium. The Symposium, entitled "Ensuring safe school feeding during and after the pandemic: an emerging agenda", is being organized by RAES and will be held on the 22^nd and 23^rd of September 2020 at 3 p.m. (Brazil/Chile). 

The event is open to managers and technical representatives from governments of Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as other interested countries. 

On the first day of the symposium, under the topic Healthy Eating in the Pandemic Period, the experiences of Chile, Panama and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be presented. On the second day, under the theme Post-pandemic food and nutrition security protocols, the experiences of Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, and Belgium will be shared. 

The coordinator of the regional project, Najla Veloso, explains that the experiences presented by many countries during virtual discussions are usually the answers that governments need to change and propose actions to face crisis scenarios. "The symposium is important because it will allow dialogue about the challenges to continue offering school meals during the pandemic and to guarantee their safe supply when schools are reopened", she said.