For the 2025–2026 school year, France has pledged to provide nutritious lunches for 80,000 Haitian students through the National School Canteen Program (PNCS), a vital initiative aimed at improving child welfare while fueling economic revival.
The announcement came from French Ambassador to Haiti, Antoine Michon, during a visit to local supplier CLÉS on the eve of the new school year. Standing alongside PNCS Director General Kevenot Dorvil, Michon emphasized that the program is not only about ensuring children eat but also about strengthening Haiti’s agricultural backbone.
The program launched during Haiti’s official back-to-school ceremonies on October 1. Every day, 80,000 meals will be prepared using 100% locally sourced ingredients, including staples like rice, corn, beans, and fresh milk. This choice reflects a long-term strategy: to nurture students’ health while stimulating the country’s rural economy.
By prioritizing domestic procurement, the initiative directly supports 3,500 national producers and 1,500 livestock breeders, creating stable markets and injecting income into farming families.
“This 2025/2026 school year, France will finance the daily meals of 80,000 students in Haiti,” Michon shared in a bilingual post on X. His visit to CLÉS highlighted the logistics of the initiative—from harvest to school tray—showcasing how deeply integrated the program is with local communities.
Haiti’s PNCS has long stood as a key force in combating child malnutrition, which continues to affect nearly half of Haitian children under five. With an ambitious national goal of reaching 1.5 million students by the end of 2025, this initiative builds on past efforts supported by partners such as the World Food Program (WFP).
France’s contribution also aligns with Haiti’s 2024–2030 National Action Plan for School Feeding, which seeks to integrate nutrition, education, and economic development into a single framework for progress.
This year’s school theme “Restoring the Authority of the School” underscores the importance of education in building a stronger future. With this pledge, France is investing not just in meals but in the potential of Haiti’s children and the resilience of its farmers.
As Haiti embarks on the 2025–2026 school year, this partnership offers a glimpse of renewal, where every plate served nourishes both students and the nation’s path forward.
