Teachers routinely cite school meals as having a positive effect on the ability of students to concentrate in the classroom, the duration of their attention spans, and their cognitive and learning abilities. Improving school enrollment has been cited as the single most effective child protection intervention, and school meals ensure that children in the impoverished slums come to class. Crime and violence are prevalent in the slums, and children are often the victims. One study found that primary school-aged girls were the most vulnerable, with a 60% likelihood of being victims of abuse and violence. High poverty levels in the slums expose children to sexual violence. Child prostitution is common and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high. Providing a meal in school means that children are less likely to be roaming urban streets where they are subjected to violence.
What plans are there for making school meals available for all children?
WFP’s new five-year development program (2009-2013) has emphasized the need to hand the program over to the Government after 28 years of assistance. The Government’s 2008/2009 budget included $5 million USD for feeding an additional 550,000 children through a Home-Grown School Feeding Program, which brings school feeding and agricultural development together through local procurement, support of school gardens, and agricultural education in the classroom. This brings the total number of children targeted for school meals to 1.32 million.
During times of severe drought, WFP expands its school feeding program to hard-hit areas. Due to the threat of drought from little rain in the Eastern and Coast Provinces in 2008, an ongoing assessment will determine how many more children will benefit from school meals in 2009. Even without this expansion, nearly 63 percent of the children enrolled in primary schools are currently receiving food.
What would be the sources of funding for any expansion of the school feeding program?
WFP Kenya’s school feeding program, like other programs around the world, relies entirely on voluntary contributions. Given competing priorities, including saving lives in emergencies, WFP Kenya advocates for funding from corporations and individuals, as well as governments, to reach the 770,000 children currently under its program. Additional support by the private sector would enable more children to be fed in school. Currently, WFP Kenya receives annual contributions from International Paper, Unilever, and individual donors, and would be pleased to welcome other partners.
The Government of Kenya, through the Kenya Education Sector Support Project (KESSP) and with support from the international donor community and the United Nations, has identified school feeding as an efficient and effective means of promoting access to basic education for all in the remote arid regions. While Kenya has made budget allocations to feed an additional 550,000 children under its Home-Grown School Feeding Program, the country continues to depend on aid, with external grants comprising five percent of total public revenue.
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1 - Education Insight
Thank God the governement of Kenya has extended the School Feeding program in these times of drought.