In Sierra Leone, boys and girls have to perform considerable amounts of work in their families. Girls are required to help with household chores, while boys are needed on the farm. Thus, the decision to send a child to school is not only a matter of expenses, but also of substantial opportunity costs in terms of the children’s contribution to the household.
The School Feeding Program has been successful in attracting and retaining more children at school; it has also greatly contributed to increasing the children’s attention span and their learning potential. Between 2005 and 2007, the number of children enrolled in school feeding increased 40 percent. The attendance rate of those who are enrolled has also significantly increased – to 97 percent. Children who otherwise may have stayed at home to work, have been given the opportunity to learn. Most of the girls (about 80 percent) who take part in the National Primary School Examinations in WFP-supported schools successfully graduate to secondary schools. WFP School Feeding also encourages high achievement!
What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?
More than 1.3 million children are enrolled in primary schools in Sierra Leone. By the end of 2008, WFP plans to increase the number of assisted schools from 900 to 1,500, which will also include schools in urban and peri-urban areas. This will increase the number of children who receive a daily meal at school to about 350,000, i.e. about one quarter of all primary school children. Many more are poor and food-insecure, and would benefit from a daily meal at school. UNICEF and WFP are working with the Government of Sierra Leone to make basic education a national priority. The Government is also expected to eventually assume full operational responsibility of a country-wide School Feeding Program.
What would be the sources of funding for any expansion of the School Feeding Program? What has been the effect of rising food prices on this funding effort?
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