Many children in São Tomé and Príncipe go to school hungry, often having to walk long distances just to get to class. Located off the Western coast of Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe is described by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as “both a least developed and low-income, food-deficit country.” School feeding is needed to help children and their families break out of poverty. In this interview with Haladou Salha, WFP country director for São Tomé and Príncipe, we will take a look at the country's vital school feeding program and how someone can help.

How many children are benefiting from the WFP School feeding programs within the country?

The school feeding component of the Development Project in São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) targets all public primary schools. This includes 19 primary schools and 83 pre-schools and kindergartens located in 6 districts of Sao Tome and in the Principe Autonomous Region. A total of 32,633 children benefited from the WFP School Feeding Program during the 2007/2008 school year. Girls and boys represent 49% and 51% of beneficiaries, respectively. The majority of children are from poor households and must walk long distances to reach schools, often on an empty stomach.

Discuss what effect the meals have on the children in terms of school attendance, performance, and nutrition.

According to teacher feedback, school meals significantly improve school attendance, increase enrollment, and provide motivation for children to go to school. Like most countries where WFP is implementing School Feeding Programs, in São Tomé and Príncipe the drop-out rates have decreased while parents’ willingness to send their kids to school has increased. The overall performance during the 2007/2008 school year has increased as students have better focus than in previous years. There is no doubt that the daily meals provided to children through the school feeding program improve children’s nutritional status.

What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?

As previously mentioned, all public primary schools and kindergartens in São Tomé and Príncipe are covered by the school feeding program. Therefore, all enrolled children are benefiting from meals provided on daily basis. However, there is a need to improve the program by including additional activities. In this regard, WFP, government institutions and NGOs have been discussing ways to diversify the meals, including using local food and developing new recipes. Other initiatives such as introducing efficient cooking and environmentally sound stoves, providing adequate water sources, training on food preparation and hygiene and building school gardens have been considered to ensure regular and continuous assistance. WFP hopes to gradually substitute local food products for imported food commodities to achieve sustainability and phase out its intervention in São Tomé and Príncipe. WFP has also provided technical assistance to the Government of Sao Tome in setting-up a School Feeding Unit within the Ministry of Education in order to sustain the ongoing School Feeding Program.