In some areas, enrollment and attendance have almost doubled due to the programme.
"I wish to state that the impact of hunger and micro nutrient deficiencies are now a thing of the past in my schools in these districts. However, the major impact of the feeding programme to my ministry is improvements in school enrollment and daily class attendance," said Education minister Andrew Mulenga at the handover of motorcycles by WFP to the ministry's school feeding programme.
"Enrollments have almost doubled and attendance have almost doubled due to the programme," Mr Mulenga said. The school-feeding programme is two-fold, the rural school feeding programme implemented by the Ministry of Education and the Urban school feeding programme implemented by Project Concern International.
In July 2003 my Ministry, The Ministry of Education, with support from WFP started implementing School Feeding Programme in July 2003 in the Southern Province districts of Siavonga, Gwembe and Sinazongwe, covering a total of 30 schools.
Two other districts, Livingstone in Southern, and Chadiza in Eastern province, have been included in the feeding programme bringing the number of schools to a total of 61.
Since January 2003, WFP Zambia has been targeting orphans, street children and other vulnerable children with an intervention that aims to increase access to education for the children, while assisting food-insecure families hosting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) in community schools with increased food needs at home.
Children in community schools who attend school 20 days of the month receive a wet ration of fortified porridge in school, while selected food-insecure families receive a take-home ration of grain.
The activity has a particular focus in urban areas, but due consideration is also given to those areas where children are at risk due to aggravating factors such as areas facing drought-risk, areas with low enrollment and attendance rates, and those with high numbers of out-of-school children and high rates of stunting and chronic malnutrition. Particular attention is paid to children from child-headed households and households headed by the elderly. Currently 59,461 students enrolled at school receive the wet ration, whilst 8,268 families benefit from the take-home ration.
Children in school receive 100g of HEPS and 10g of oil per day served as a hot porridge to be consumed before beginning the day's lessons.
Partnerships
Currently, Project Concern International is the main implementing partner for this activity. The Ministry of Education and UNICEF are also partners.
The rural school feeding programme in Zambia was launched by the United Nations World Food Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Ministry of Education in July 2003 in three districts in Southern Province; Siavonga, Sinazongwe and Gwembe.
In September 2003 the school feeding programme expanded to the districts of Chadiza and Livingstone as well.
The targeted districts have been selected with the Ministry of Education based on an assessment of areas with chronic food shortages, high percentage of female-headed households and low rates of school enrollment and attendance.
The programme is a combined school feeding and HIV/AIDS intervention targeted at orphans and vulnerable children in community schools.
Both programmes are designed within a key international Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and Zambia's Poverty Reduction Strategy.
School children attending school each day get a hot porridge of fortified blended food (High Energy Protein Supplement), sugar and oil.
The ration provides the children with 810 kilo calories and 21 grams of protein per child per day. The ration is intended to encourage enrollment and attendance at school, to alleviate short-term hunger and to improve the ability of students to concentrate on their lessons.
Flying Angles Missions Community School in Lusaka's sprawling shanty township of Ng'ombe, is one of the beneficiary schools from the programme.
The school which opened its doors to the public in 1978 has 590 pupils and the Headmaster Bernard Sakala is proud of attendance rates since the introduction of the feeding programme. "In terms of attendance, it has improved tremendously ever since the feeding programme was introduced at the school.
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