Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL) – Sodexo UK & Ireland’s Food Innovation & Sustainability Director, Schools & Universities, David Mulcahy, recently completed a week-long Stop Hunger YEAH! Mission in The Gambia. This skills-based volunteering initiative, organized in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), aimed to provide valuable culinary training for school cooks in The Gambia and neighboring countries.

During the mission, Mulcahy visited four schools supported by WFP’s school meals program: Nyakoi Lower Basic School (LBS), Wassu LBS, Santanto LBS, and Bassick LBS. At each school, he engaged with key personnel, including government representatives, WFP teams, head teachers, teaching staff, school cooks, and members of Food Management Committees. These interactions provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by local communities, highlighting the critical role of collaboration in addressing food insecurity.

Upon his return to the UK, Mulcahy will collaborate with Sodexo colleagues from across Europe and WFP teams to develop learning modules aimed at scaling up training across The Gambia and neighboring countries. The training will focus on supporting local school cooks, covering essential topics such as cooking and food serving skills, local menu planning considering seasonal availability, ingredients, consumer preferences, and nutrition requirements, as well as effective kitchen equipment handling across cooking activities.

Mulcahy expressed his deep appreciation for the warmth and generosity of the people he met during the mission, despite facing profound challenges. He stated, “The opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful cause aligns with my longstanding commitment to supporting communities in need. As a trustee of the Stop Hunger Foundation and having worked closely with various charities over the years, I was deeply inspired by the prospect of helping to make a difference in The Gambia.”

Stop Hunger is the unique philanthropic cause of Sodexo, with the mission to fight against hunger and food insecurity by empowering women and younger generations for a better future. Since 2014, Stop Hunger has partnered with WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organization working to end hunger, as part of their shared mission to achieve zero hunger. To date, Sodexo volunteers have supported over 20 WFP Country Offices with expertise.