The country of Mali in West Africa has an estimated 69 percent of its population living below the poverty line. As part of its strategy for helping the children of Mali, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) runs school feeding programs. This Food for Education initiative is the topic of the following interview with Abou Guindo, WFP school feeding program officer in Mali.
How many children are benefiting from the WFP School feeding programs within the country?
During the 2007-2008 school year the WFP school feeding campaign in Mali reached 108,524 children in 712 schools. WFP determines the recipient schools, all located in food insecure areas, through a survey: the Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis.
Discuss what effect the meals have on the children in terms of school attendance, performance, and nutrition.
The school feeding program in Mali has a very good effect on the children when we consider both the educational indicators and the improved nutrition of children. The latest school feeding survey, conducted in 2007, shows that enrollment increased 30% in the assisted schools. In some areas, the increase goes up to 100%. The fact that WFP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, offers a daily meal to all the children in the targeted school encourages parents to let their children attend school classes regularly. This is especially true for girls in grades 5 and 6, who receive 8 liters of vegetable oil each quarter as an incentive for regular attendance. Parents are very sensitive to this kind of support because it helps to contribute to the household budget.
What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?
The current program offers a daily meal for all children in a targeted school. That means every child in the 712 assisted schools will not face hunger during the school hours, no matter his or her age, gender, or grade. However, WFP is covering only 7% of school-age children. If WFP or the Government had more resources, more children could be fed in school. According to Government statistics, there are 2.6 million school-age children in food insecure regions in Mali.
This is why the evaluation of the last country program (in October 2006) strongly recommended defining a school feeding policy in order to better coordinate interventions and advocate for more resources. In January 2008, the Ministry of Education (MoE) organized a National School Feeding Forum to raise public awareness and seek support from stakeholders. This forum was chaired by the Prime Minister with the participation of all actors who intervene in the sector, plus participants from neighboring countries, and provided an opportunity to define a framework for a national school feeding program in Mali.
The policy defines ways to mobilize more resources. It also indicates that the School Feeding Program in Mali will be coordinated by a team within the office of the Minister of Education. Further, the school feeding program will give priority to schools where children have to travel more than two miles daily to get to school.
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