Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, with one out of three children under five years old suffering from chronic malnutrition. Natural disasters like drought and flooding have all had a major impact on Honduras in recent years. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is emphasizing school feeding to combat hunger and poverty. Jaime Vallaure, WFP country director for Honduras, recently discussed the importance of school meals for children.
How many children are benefiting from the WFP school feeding programs within the country?
A total of 1.3 million children ages 4 to 12 are benefiting from the program. The program covers about 90 percent of primary schools and pre-school centers.
Discuss what effect the meals have on the children in terms of school attendance, performance and nutrition.
Preliminary indicators show that the program has had a significant impact on increasing school enrollment, keeping children in school longer, and reducing drop-out rates. The purpose of the school feeding program is to increase the levels of education among school children. Honduras, a country prone to have at least one emergency per year, relies on school feeding programs to help in reducing the number of badly affected people. School feeding programs are especially helpful when the emergency is a nutritional one, such as increased levels of acute malnutrition.
What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?
In Honduras, the present coverage of primary schools participating in school feeding has reached a maximum. A lot of work must be done at the pre-school level (four to five years of age). The Ministry of Education should work to increase the number of pre-school centers first, as only 55 percent of the demand for these centers is satisfied by the Government. School meals will then follow.
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