CRS obtains the food and financial resources for our school feeding program and other food-supported programs from USAID’s Food for Peace program via annually approved Emergency Operational Plans. With funds from USAID (BPRM) and the United Nations (Common Humanitarian Fund), CRS has also been supporting South Sudan’s educational system by constructing schools, providing other educational materials, training teachers, and forming and training Parent-Teacher Associations that help manage schools and strengthen community support of education.
How many children are benefiting from the project?
In 2008, CRS assisted 54,263 students under our school feeding program at 157 primary and secondary schools, 20 boarding schools, and five vocational schools. In 2009, we aim to serve a total of 37,800 students at 110 schools due to shortage of resources. USAID now views the need for institutional feeding at schools and hospitals as a problem of underdevelopment rather than emergency and has requested CRS to phase out the program.
Discuss what effect the meals have on the children in terms of school attendance, performance, and nutrition.
School feedings help to improve school attendance, a prerequisite for any further achievement for children. In addition, a meal served at school improves the ability of students to concentrate on lessons. Schools have reported that in the absence of a meal provided at school students cannot effectively complete a full day in class and tend to wander off in search of something to eat in the afternoon.
In Jonglei State, CRS has pioneered schools specifically for girls in a culture where education — especially for females — is only beginning to be accepted. In 2009, CRS will be providing a special take-home ration to further increase enrollment of girls. In this pilot project, 48 elementary schools in Bor County will be identified, and each school-attending girl will receive each month two liters of vegetable oil as an added incentive for families to send their girls to schools.
Are there plans to expand the school feeding project in Southern Sudan?
As large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people return to their homes of origin each year across southern Sudan, school enrollment and construction continue to increase. Towards the end of 2008, 47 new schools with a total student population of 10,277 submitted applications to CRS for inclusion in our feeding program.
Article comments