KABUL - Thousands of Afghanistan’s poorest families will be able to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan with an evening serving of dates thanks to a contribution from Saudi Arabia, the United Nations food relief agency said today.

The donation of 85 metric tons of dried dates was formally handed over to the World Food Programme (WFP) in the capital, Kabul, on Monday, according to a WFP news release.

The dates are already pre-positioned in WFP’s warehouses in Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar and will soon be distributed to over 35,000 students in Kabul, Panjshir and Kandahar provinces.

“This is a wonderful gesture by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said WFP’s representative and country director for Afghanistan, Louis Imbleau. “As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, Muslim families around the world are preparing for its rich traditions. Thousands of needy children and families will benefit from this contribution.”

WFP noted that the dates are not only a healthy snack for school children and their families, but are also a gift to help poor households celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, and can serve as an incentive for parents to send their children to school.

Ramadan, during which Muslims are expected to fast between dawn and sunset, is set to start on 9 July and last 30 days.

Since 2001, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported WFP globally with a yearly contribution of 4,000 metric tons of dates, from which vulnerable Afghans have benefited since 2003. The UN agency has been working in Afghanistan since 1963 with the aim of helping Afghans build a hunger-free future for themselves and their country. In 2012, WFP brought food assistance to nearly six million Afghans in all of the country’s 34 provinces.