Angola is recovering from a 27-year-long civil war that ended in 2002. Twenty-eight percent of this African nation’s population is living in extreme poverty. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reports that "many communities have little or no access to basic social services.” Initiatives to fight poverty, like school feeding, take on a critical role in the recovery of Angola. We will look at school feeding in Angola in the following interview with WFP representative Domingos Afonso Ndedica.
How many children are benefiting from the WFP school feeding programs within the country?
A total of 147,182 children in the most conflict affected provinces of Bie and Huamba are benefiting from school feeding programs in Angola.
Discuss what effect the meals have on the children in terms of school attendance, performance and nutrition.
The number of children attending classes in WFP-assisted schools increased to 94 percent in 2007/2008 compared to 88 percent on the previous school academic year of 2006/2007. The School Feeding Program has also succeeded in raising awareness among parents regarding the importance of education, particularly for the girls. This is especially true of food insecure households that have a hard time providing a daily meal to their children.
What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?
The Government of Angola has launched a three-year pilot school feeding program to serve students who were previously assisted by WFP. The Government of Angola is now budgeting for a countrywide school feeding program-so the current program will serve as a pilot for taking the government sponsored program nation wide.
What would be the sources of funding for any expansion of the school feeding program?
The Government of Angola is one source of funding as well as The Brazilian National Fund for Education Development (FNDE) with support of the Brazilian Government has helped to implement National School Feeding program.
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