While in Southern Sudan, Debbie Devoe, a Catholic Relief Services (CRS) officer, snapped photographs of a group of people seated around a conference table. This may not seem like a major event, but after decades of a brutal civil war, the people of Southern Sudan are thrilled to be seated at a table discussing peace.
The civil war between North and Southern Sudan ended in 2005 with a peace agreement, but the struggle to rebuild lives and communities is ongoing. CRS is assisting by setting up peace workshops to help communities deal with potential conflict issues, such as the sharing of scarce resources and helping with school feeding programs.
These meals are a critical part of the foundation for peace and progress, but only if the program remains funded. CRS Emergency Program Coordinator, Zelleke Shibeshi, recently discussed school feeding in Southern Sudan.
How has CRS been involved in school feedings in Southern Sudan?
Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, the Government of South Sudan and humanitarian agencies have made efforts to re-establish the educational system in the region. Schools abandoned or destroyed during the war have been renovated, new ones have been built, and enrollment — including that of girls — has increased steadily.
Despite these positive improvements, however, the percentage of children attending school in South Sudan (17%) is much lower than the national average (56%). There are also huge gaps in the number of schools and the quality of education currently offered in southern Sudan. Although teachers are now salaried, the majority are untrained, and many schools lack basic scholastic materials.
To help address these issues, CRS started its first school-feeding program in 2001 in schools within camps for internally displaced people in Eastern Equatoria. Geographic coverage gradually expanded to other towns and villages in Eastern Equatoria and Bor County of Jonglei State. Regular day students were provided school lunches five days a week while boarding school students received two meals every day.
The primary focus of CRS Sudan’s school feeding program is to ensure that schoolchildren have access to food. Most target schools are located in areas with high returnee populations where food security and earning a living are major challenges for most families. School feedings directly contribute to food security at the household level because children don’t eat from the family pot on school days. In addition, school feedings encourage parents to enroll their children into school and improve their attendance.
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