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Students with their lunch provided by World Food Programme Picture: WFP/Dina El Kassaby

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It鈥檚 hard to learn when you鈥檙e hungry. So a nutritious school lunch is vital if children are to fulfil their potential in the classroom.

That鈥檚 why the is providing school meals for 10,000 vulnerable local and Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.

The United Nations food relief agency鈥檚 school lunches include a carton of milk or juice, locally-baked snacks and a piece of fruit.

That gives them more energy to focus on their studies,听said WFP Lebanon Country Director Dominik Heinrich.

A carton of juice and a snack are included听Picture: WFP/Dina El Kassaby

He added:听鈥淏y providing children with daily, nutritious meals at school, WFP can ensure improved nutritional intake for these children as well as encouraging their parents to send them to school regularly.鈥�

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have enrolled in Lebanon鈥檚 public schools and over 250 of them have introduced the innovative double-shift.

The WFP school meals programme is funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and is carried out in co-ordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Students are better able to study after a nutritious meal Picture: WFP/Dina El Kassaby

The selected schools are located in the most vulnerable communities across Lebanon as identified by UNICEF and UNHCR and the programme is carried out in close coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

Mr Heinrich said:听鈥淥ur school meals programme is an investment in the education and future of the next generation.

鈥淲e have already seen positive improvements in attendance and students鈥� ability to focus on their lessons in the last few weeks since we launched the pilot.

鈥淔ollowing the initial success, made possible thanks to the support of the schools and our partners, WFP is preparing to expand this programme during the next academic year to more schools in the country.鈥�

WFP also assists 600,000 Syrian refugees across Lebanon with monthly food vouchers useable at local markets.